What Matters Most
by Sir Alwick
Summary: A series of one shots focusing on Beast Boy's and Raven's experiences in parenting.
1. Light and Monsters

Raven had been up reading for about an hour already and had just rolled over to go to sleep when she heard it. Past the dull, rhythmic snoring of her husband, like the gentlest song from the beak of a mockingbird, the tiniest voice emerged from the darkness of the bedroom. Calling to her by a name which brought a smile to her face every time she heard it.

"Mommy?"

Laying on her side, she craned her neck upward and looked through the dark in the direction of the door. A little figure stood motionless in the doorway, it's small arms clutching something to its chest. Again a tiny voice whimpered softly through the black.

"Daddy?"

Fear was evident in the little figure's voice. Not that Raven needed to hear her speak to know that. The thick, heavy feeling in her chest, flowing through her like a river was enough to tell her something had happened.

"What is it, sweetie?" she whispered, soft enough to not disturb the man sleeping next to her, but loud enough to let the voice know she had heard.

Stepping out of the darkness, the fragile form of five-year-old Coraline Logan entered the square of moonlight cast upon the carpeted floor. Her little, white nightgown, seemed to glow in the lunar light as her arms clutched a stuffed monkey to her chest and her eyes blinked with tiny unshed tears.

"Monsters," she said. "In my room."

Sitting up in bed, Raven faced the frightened child, giving a soft and comforting smile. The kind of smile which was only reserved for a select few in her life. "Monsters, huh?" she said. Through the dim light she saw the little girl nod and clutch the stuffed toy in her arms tighter. For a moment, she looked down at the still sleeping form of her husband, his face buried deeply in his pillow, his arms and legs sticking out in random directions from underneath the covers as he abruptly snorted and began snoring momentarily louder.

Returning her gaze to her daughter she smirked slightly. "Did they sound anything like Daddy?"

Coraline smiled and shook her head, her little violet tresses shaking back and forth on either side of her face. "No," she said softly. "They're scarier than that."

Holding back a tiny laugh, Raven widened her eyes in mock surprise. "Scarier than Daddy's snoring?" she asked. Again the little girl nodded at her. "Well," she continued. "I guess we should go and have a look."

Another small smile crossed the little girls lips as Raven got out of bed and approached her offering her hand to hold as they made their way out of the bedroom and down the hall.

* * *

"Now, where are these monsters," asked Raven, hands on her hips, strolling confidently into the five-year-old's bedroom.

Standing in the doorway Coraline played nervously with her stuffed toy. "In the closet and under the bed and in my toy box," she said, her tiny finger pointing to each location as she spoke.

Slowly Raven strolled across the green carpet of the bedroom and approached the twin sized bed, complete with the aqua blue bedspread, featuring an underwater layout of a dozen smiling, happy fish. Much like her father, it seemed like Coraline Logan was going to be a big animal lover.

"Hmm," she said, placing a hand to her mouth and pretending to be in deep thought. She looked at her daughter and pointed to the bed, silently asking for confirmation which the child gave by nodding. Slowly she got down on her hands and knees and gripped the edge of the quilt as it hung over the mattress, touching the floor. In one fluid motion she ripped it back and shoved her face into the small space.

"I don't see any monsters here," she said after a few moments of "searching."

Getting back to her feet, she walked over to the closet and once again did the same thing. Pulling back the doors in one swift motion and studying the interior. The same actions were again repeated for the toy box. She then approached little Coraline and gently took her by the hand, leading her back to her bed.

"After a thorough investigation I think it's safe to say this room is one hundred percent monster free," she said as she began tucking the little girl into bed.

"You must have scared them off," said Coraline, laying her head down on her pale blue pillow and resting her stuffed monkey down beside her.

Raven smiled. "Well," she said. "I have scared away my share of monsters."

"I don't like monsters."

"Me neither."

Although she felt better a single thought still nagged at the child's mind. With concern in her eyes she looked up at her mother and squeaked, "Don't turn off the light."

Looking down at her daughter, Raven could once again feel her fear welling up inside her. "Why not?" she questioned, feigning ignorance.

"If you turn off the light, the monsters will come back. They always come back when it gets dark."

For a moment, Raven looked deeply into her child's eye. Although there was a part of her that rather enjoyed the theatrics that went along with the naiveté of children, and though she very much wanted to soothe her fears, she had always sworn to herself that she would maintain a certain degree of honesty with her daughter. Spending several years of her life fighting the evils of the world, she knew firsthand how horrible it could be, and it was her deepest desire that she raise Coraline to be strong. So, brushing the little girl's cheek with the back of her hand, she looked into her eyes.

"Coraline," she said, her voice soft and comforting, yet firm. "I know it's scary, but if you're brave and you face it, there's nothing in the dark that can really hurt you.

Again the little girl was tearful. "But I'm scared," she squeaked.

"I know you are," her mother answered. "And it's okay to be scared. It's not easy to face the darkness, but the sooner you do, the sooner you'll realize you're not scared of it anymore. Do you understand?"

She watched as slowly the child nodded, seeming to somewhat understand what she was trying to say. Giving the little girl a kiss on the forehead she made her way for the exit and with a flick of her finger extinguished the light.

In bed, Coraline shook slightly as she rolled over onto her side and struggled to calm herself enough to fall asleep. A few moments later she was surprised when suddenly a dim green light filled the corners of her eyes. Raising her little head up off of her pillow she saw her mother again standing in the doorway, a glowing green stone sitting in the palm of her hand, it's light illuminating the small room.

"But you know..." she said as she as she made her way across the room and set the stone down on her bedside table. "When facing the darkness, it doesn't hurt to have a little light shining nearby."

Coraline smiled brightly at the beautiful green light filling her room, giving her peace and calm.

Smiling Raven bent down and gave her daughter another kiss on the cheek. "Good night," she said lovingly.

"Geoffry too," said Coraline suddenly motioning to the stuffed monkey still lying its head on the pillow beside her.

Raven smirked slightly. Of all the things she expected to do in her life, she never thought giving a kiss to a stuffed animal would be one of them. But nevertheless she still leaned over, gave a little peck on the forehead to the stuffed primate and bid him good night. She then stood and made her way to the exit as little Coraline Logan rolled over, shut her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Pulling back the sheets and quilt, Raven climbed back onto the mattress and slipped into the covers. Her jostling was enough so that it stirred the sleeping Garfield from his snoring slumber.

"What's going on?" he slurred, still half asleep.

"Nothing, Gar," said Raven lying down on her side and putting her arms around his waist. "Go back to sleep.

"Oh okay," he answered. Laying his head back down on his pillow he absent mindedly took hold of one of Raven's hands and kissed the back of it before settling back into sleep. "Night," he slurred one more time.

Raven smiled. "Good night," she said. "My light."

_A/N: I know this was kind of cliche, but this idea wouldn't leave my head, and I figured the only way to get rid of it would be to put it down on paper. Anyway, I still hope you liked it. I'm hoping future ones will be better._


	2. Skin

The sky was dark. The inevitable rain to follow could not have been long, though he hoped desperately that it would hold off for at least a few more minutes, at least until he found something to eat. Hugging the already damp grey sweatshirt to his small frame he entered the next alleyway and began his search anew, praying that there would be something at least edible in the next dumpster. It was always times like this, when things were their hardest, that the little green boy reconsidered his decision to run. He had hated what his owners (they never let him say parents) had made him do, and he couldn't say he missed the physical or emotional abuse, but at least while he lived with them he could say he was somewhat warm and dry and was only hungry part of the time instead of all the time. He suddenly felt tears nipping at the backs of his eyes and immediately shoved his thoughts aside. He determined it was best to never think too much about his situation.

After finding some stale pizza crust wrapped up in a plastic bag he sat himself down beside the dirty green dumpster and began eating. The tough bread crunched and crackled in his teeth and tasted bitter, but it would at least ensure he wouldn't starve that night.

It was then that he heard it. A sort of cacophony of high pitched squeals and giggling, the frenzied shouting of several small voices all wanting to be heard at once. Peeking out from behind the dumpster he saw them. There were maybe ten of them, most young boys like himself, though there appeared to be one or two girls, and all ten or eleven years old, also like himself. He saw a bright red ball go flying past the alley entrance and heard one voice shout something about one more game before the parents made them go inside.

For several minutes he simply watched with great interest as the red ball flew back and forth across the alley entrance, reappearing and then disappearing from view. He listened to the excited cheering and yelling as the children took part in a fast paced game of dodgeball on the quiet street. A smile worked its way to his face. After another minute or so of watching, he felt like he had a decent grasp of the rules. Adjusting his gloves and pulling the hood of his sweatshirt up tight over his head, he insured that no part of his bizarrely colored anatomy was in plain sight before making his way out of the alley way.

He was nervous. Standing and watching at the street's edge, he fiddled with his hands. He wanted more than anything at that moment to play, but something inside him kept him silent. It pulled his mouth closed and squeezed his vocal chords. It cemented his feet to the ground, keeping him from making any kind of contact with the kids in front of him. Inside he wished to be noticed, that one of them would see him and do the hard part for him. He knew he'd find his voice then.

Suddenly the ball, bouncing off the back of a black boy as he tried to dodge, lobbed through the air over towards him. Reacting quickly he threw up his hands and snatched the rubber sphere between his palms.

A blonde boy wearing a red baseball cap came running up to him asking for the ball, and it was then that he realized this was the opportunity he'd been waiting for. Gathering all the courage he could he stepped off the curb.

"Hey," he said to the fast approaching boy. "Can I play too?"

The boy paused for a moment, studying the grey hooded boy in front of him. He turned and faced the rest of the kids and then turned back. The look on his face said he was unsure of what to say.

"What's the hold up?" shouted a kid from behind him.

"This kid wants to play too," he shouted over his shoulder.

The green boy suddenly felt a torrent of fear spread over him as the group of kids began making their way over to where he and the blonde boy were standing. Swallowing nervously he considered simply dropping the ball and running away as fast as his little legs could carry him, but instead he held his ground.

"You know how to play?" asked the tallest boy of the group.

"Uh yeah, I think so."

There was another pause as the kids looked at one another, considering, looking to see if anyone had anything to say to the contrary.

"Alright," said one of them finally.

The green boy's heart soared and his excitement was nearly uncontainable. He couldn't remember the last time he had actually played a game with other children. Unable to resist himself a wide toothy grin spread across his face. It would prove to be his greatest mistake.

The large grey hood of his sweatshirt may have hidden his face well enough, but it did nothing to hide his animalistic fangs. Smiling as big as he had, it was impossible for none of them to notice.

"Whoa," exclaimed a girl. "What's up with your teeth?"

Shoving his head down, he took a step back, holding up the red ball to his face, doing his best to hide behind it as he quickly squeaked: "Nothing."

The girl, now becoming more curious, eyed him suspiciously.

"Take off your hood," she said suddenly.

Panic and terror welled up inside the green boy.

"I gotta go," he said quickly.

Turning with his head facing away from the street he began walking away, completely forgetting about the ball in his hands, just focused on trying to get away without making too much of a scene. Of course the kids were quick to follow. More of them joined in with the girl as more calls for him to remove his hood filled his ears.

He was ready to run, but before he could he felt a sharp tug on his sweatshirt and quickly found himself completely exposed. His ratty green hair, his dirty green skin, his pointed ears, his sharp teeth, everything was out for the world to see. Dropping the ball he fumbled for his hood but the damage had already been done.

"Ewww," one of the kids practically shouted.

"Holy cow, did you see those ears?" shouted another, laughing and pointing.

"What is he? Some kind of mutant?" said another still.

That was all he heard. They were still jabbering and laughing after he yanked his hood back up over his face and took off running down the street. Angry tears, testaments to his stupidity, ran down his cheeks. How could he have ever thought he could fit in even for just a moment? It started to rain, but still he ran. It wasn't until the plummeting raindrops began blinding his eyes that he stopped. Cold, wet, tired, hungry, he stood, having no desire to move.

* * *

Azerath did not have many trees, though the few patches of forest that it did have were breathtakingly beautiful. It was here, under the shelter of their branches, which stretched across the sky like giant fingers, that the little grey girl liked to be. It wouldn't be long before they realized she was gone, but with her favorite book in hand she would definitely make the most of the time she had.

It couldn't have been more than a few minutes before she realized she was no longer alone. Something inside her tingled to life at the slow approach of a human life form from out of the thicket. The aura was far too light, too calming to be an instructor. She therefore determined it must have been a student. Closing her book, she looked up and waited for whoever approached to make themselves known.

"Oh."

After emerging through the trees and seeing the grey girl sitting before her, it was the first thing out of the dark-haired girl's mouth. Then, "I'm sorry, I didn't know there would be anyone else here."

The grey girl remained silent. She had been told countless times by instructors and other authority figures that she was forbidden to speak with the other students. Whenever she dared to ask why they would quote worries about safety. No one believed her when she told them of the all progress she'd made, of all the control she now had over her powers.

"You like to come here to read too?" said the dark-haired girl.

The grey girl nodded.

"Me too."

Without hesitation the girl approached and quickly took a seat against the tree opposite. Her smile was warm and her happiness was evident.

"My friends say I read too much, but I just can't help myself."

Licking her lips nervously, the grey girl closed her eyes and thought. After a moment she raised her head and faced the girl beside her. Collecting herself she spoke.

"I can understand the feeling," she said hesitantly, ensuring that her control remained unshaken.

She felt a small twinge of relief as the girl beside her continued smiling.

"This is my favorite place to read. It's so peaceful."

"Yes. I agree."

A feeling almost foreign to the grey girl swelled inside her stomach. Though she was admittedly nervous the truth remained that she was conversing with a girl her own age without incident, without any indication of danger, of losing control. For the first time perhaps in her life she felt what could only be the light, airy feeling of happiness.

"My name's Sapphire," said the girl. "What's yours?"

Giving the smallest smile, the grey girl took a breath. However, before she could speak, a voice cut through the forest, answering for her.

"Raven!"

Gasping in surprise, the grey girl inwardly shrieked as her control wavered, and a sapling behind her was suddenly consumed with black energy, snapping it in a dozen pieces. Looking through the trees she quickly identified the long flowing, dark purple robe of an instructor as he quickly approached. The look on his face was not pleased.

"Sapphire, come away from there," he said suddenly turning his attention to her.

"Why?"

"Do not argue child. Come here immediately."

Sapphire threw a sympathetic glance to Raven, looking for some kind of understanding before climbing to her feet and approaching the instructor.

"I don't understand," she said.

"Do you not see?" said the instructor. "That is the child of the demon. Look at her skin, grey like ash, the color of death, the mark of evil. She is a danger to us all. You must stay away from her." He turned to Raven. "And you will report back to High Priestess Azar immediately. I will not have you causing harm to any of my students."

There was shock and surprise evident in Sapphires eyes, and Raven could now also sense an overwhelming abundance of fear as the instructor gripped her tightly by the arm and led her away.

Biting her lip Raven did her best to calm herself though with each ragged breath that tore at her insides she found it was becoming increasingly difficult. As she fought back the tears she wondered if there would ever be a place, a time where there would be someone who looked upon her and did not see a monster.

* * *

With fingers entwined the two lovers gazed upon one another, lost in the moment. With nothing concealing them they embraced. Their bodies, their skin, green and grey melted together and became whole. As the moon shone in through the large window, they each took comfort in the feel of the other. There was nothing but beauty in that room.

Years later, with hands still clasped they sat at the kitchen table. From here they could clearly see the happy, smiling little girl as she played on the living room floor. The sweet little girl who would be soon be starting her first day of school. The beautiful little girl with the long violet hair, and the pale greenish skin.

"How could anyone look at her and see a monster?" said Garfield Logan, giving his wife's hand a squeeze.

"There are some that might," answered Raven Logan.

Their hands still clasped they each turned to the small unassuming piece of metal that rested on the table in front of them. The little circle. A ring that if worn could make someone who looked such as they did invisible to the world's prejudices.

Grasping the small device in his green fingers, Garfield studied it. He chuckled to himself.

"There was a time where I would have killed for one of these holorings."

Raven sighed.

"Yeah," she said. "So would I."

"I mean I know it'll help her fit in, but I just don't want her thinking that..I don't know...that there's anything wrong with her."

Raven nodded.

"I agree," she said.

There was a pause. For several moments, neither parent spoke.

"So what should we do?" said Raven finally.

Setting the ring back down on the table, Garfield looked into his wife's beautiful eyes. She too looked deep into his. Leaning in the two shared a quick kiss before each turned their attention back to the still playing girl.

"Coraline," called Garfield. "Could you come in here? We'd like to talk to you about something."


	3. Game

The popcorn was steaming. The TV was set to HDMI 3. The chair was reclined and feet were up on the coffee table. It was a slow and dreary Sunday afternoon, Raven was out at the bookstore and Coraline was playing quietly in her bedroom. With the blue ray player humming away, Garfield Logan was ready. It had taken a while but finally conditions were perfect. After buying the Clash of the Planets complete series box set, finally he had the perfect opportunity to sit down and enjoy it the way it was meant to be enjoyed.

"Here we go," he grinned with excitement.

He squee'd with glee as the main menu came racing up to the screen. The main title shined in big silver lettering, standing tall and proud as it raced through an outer space back drop at light speed. Raising the remote to the screen, Gar clicked the enter button firmly with his thumb and the magic "Play All," button blinked gold.

Immediately the room was filled with swelling orchestral music as the opening title sequence played. The screen positively glowed with images of inter stellar dog fights, frantic laser beam shoot outs between rag tag rebels and uniformed foot soldiers of doom, and of course, who could forget? the ever popular, pulse pounding and perfectly choreographed light sword duels.

It was all too perfect.

Suddenly, to Garfield's sensitive ears, there came a light thumping noise: little footsteps that started from the middle of the upper floor, scampered to the end of the house and then worked their way down the stairs.

"Daddy, daddy, daddy," shouted Coraline Logan as she skipped down the stairs before dashing to her father's knee.

Quickly pressing the pause button on the remote, Garfield turned to the excited youngster.

"Coraline," he said calmly. He then placed his index finger in front of his lips in the classic shushing gesture, much the same way his adoptive mother had done to him in his own rambunctious youth. "Indoor voice," he whispered.

The little girl oopsed and quickly brought her own finger to her lips, mirroring the action. "Sorry," she whispered.

Garfield smiled at her obedience. With things calm once again, he reached down to the little girl and lifted her up into his lap, wrapping her up in his arms.

"Now, what can I do for you?" he said.

"I want to play a game," beamed Coraline.

Garfield threw a tentative look at the motionless action on the TV screen and bit his lower lip.

"What kind of game?" he asked.

"I want to play hide and seek," answered the little girl excitedly.

He looked up again at the screen and furrowed his brow in indecision.

"Well..." he began. "Hon, Daddy was going to watch his show right now." His eyes flashed with excitement as an idea came to him. "Hey, why don't you watch it with me? You want to do that?"

Shaking her head, little Coraline scrunched her face in disapproval.

"No, huh?" said Garfield, his face faltering. "You sure? It's a really good show."

"Come on, Daddy," pleaded Coraline. "Hide and Seek." The adorable little girl puckered out her lower lip and softened her eyes as she looked up at her father, and, in the most syrupy sweet voice, said: "Pleeeaaassee."

Sighing and rubbing his face, Garfield knew he had been beaten. She may not have been a kitten, but it still seemed as if "the look" had been passed down to a new generation.

"Okay," he said, picking back up the remote and shutting down his whole system. "But just one game, alright?"

The little girl nodded excitedly and scrambled down from her father's lap. She smiled wide and began skipping in a circle around the room chanting, "Hide and Seek. Hide and Seek," over and over again in a sing-song fashion.

"Okay, okay," said Garfield, a cheerful smile on his face as he held out his hands in front of him, gently encouraging the girl to settle down. "Now, who counts first?"

"You do!" smiled Coraline, pointing.

"Me do?"

Coraline nodded.

"Alright. How high should I count?"

"A million."

"A million?"

"Yeah."

"How about twenty?"

"O-kay."

"Okay?"

Again she nodded.

"Okay," repeated Garfield. "Any rules?"

"Has to be in the house."

"Has to be in the house. That's a good rule. Okay, I'm going to count now."

Turning his back, Garfield placed a hand over his eyes and started to count. In a slow and deliberate fashion he recited the numbers one after the other in a loud, clear voice, making sure to put the exact same amount of space between the first number and the next.

"One...two...three..."

Finally he reached twenty. He uncovered his eyes and turned to face the empty living room.

"Ready or not, here I come," he called with a smirk.

Slowly he began to move about the living room, looking in the most obvious places: behind the sofa, in the closet, etc.

"I wonder where Coraline could be," he mused aloud.

He knew he could have easily found her had he used his sensitive hearing to follow her fleeing footsteps while she hid, but figuring that would have been too easy, he had done his best to block it out and focus on counting. If he was going to play a game with his daughter he wanted to play fair.

After slowly making his way up the stairs he made a beeline straight for the little girl's bedroom. Opening the door, he flicked on the light and surveyed the scene. Spying her closet he slowly crossed the room. He gripped the handled and quickly threw it open making a "Aha" noise as he did. However, he found nothing but cloths and Christmas decorations. He crossed the room again and swiftly checked under her bed, again making the "Aha" noise, but once again finding no Coraline. Then he checked the toy box, rummaged through her large piles of stuffed animals and peeked behind her dresser, but still the location of the little girl eluded him.

"Huh," he puzzled to himself.

He had to admit he hadn't imagined the game being quite so difficult. Nevertheless he was undeterred. If she wasn't in her room than she must simply be somewhere else. He'd find her. Of course he'd find her.

* * *

As Raven pulled into the driveway of home she knew immediately that something was amiss. Her reason? She could clearly see that every light in the house was on. It was unusual thought nothing that exactly worried her. After scooping up her bag of brand new paperbacks she made her way for the door.

If she wasn't worried before than she was now.

Her bag dropped to the floor as she struggled to take in what she saw. The house, which was absolutely spotless when she left it, was now in absolute anarchy. Furniture was overturned, closet doors were flung open and all their contents thrown on the floor; in the kitchen the chairs were on their sides, the refrigerator door was wide open as was every single cabinet. If it was supposed to be closed it was open, if it was supposed to be right side up it was upside down.

Slightly nervous she began traversing the chaotic mess that was her house, cautious not to step on anything. Suddenly there came a loud crashing noise from the dining room. Immediately Raven dashed in the sound's direction. When she got there she found the dining room table on its side with her husband, looking quite a mess with his hair mussed and his clothes in disarray, down on his hands and knees looking frantically back and forth.

"Garfield!" Raven called sharply.

The green man jumped like a scared kitten and quickly whipped around to face her.

"Raven," he practically shouted. "You're home." He laughed nervously.

"Garfield, what the hell are you doing? What happened to the house?"

"Well, well," he yammered. "Me and Coraline- I was just watching TV- and then me and Coraline- Coraline wanted to play a game. Okay? She wanted to play Hide and Seek."

Getting up off his hands and knees, Garfield bolted out of the dining room, past Raven and into the kitchen. He opened the kitchen cabinets above the stove and looked inside. When that proved fruitless he began frantically going through the food products, desperately unscrewing jars of peanut butter, opening boxes of crackers and so on. Foolish and desperate actions from a man running out of ideas.

"And so I said yes and I counted and Coraline hid. And after I was done counting I went looking for her. And I looked for her. And I looked and looked and..."

He stopped. Turning to Raven he took a casual pose leaning against the kitchen stove. There was an oddly cheerful smile on his face, but it was clear by his red and watery eyes that he was still very upset.

"You know, it's the darndest thing. I can't find her."

The smile then quickly faded and once again he began frantically opening and looking through the condiments and non-perishables.

"I mean I've been looking for a solid hour and I can't find her. I've looked everywhere and I can't find her."

Hiding her own anxiety over the situation, Raven moved to Garfield's right and swiftly placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Relax," she said, attempting to alleviate some of his stress. "She has to be around her somewhere."

Garfield sighed and vigorously rubbed his face with both hands. "I need a cookie," he said suddenly.

With tired hands, he reached for the cookie jar. Sliding it towards him he slid off the lid and looked inside only to suddenly jump back in surprise and fall to the floor. Without hesitation Raven was at his side asking him what was wrong. Together the two of them turned to the cookie jar on the counter in time to see a small greenish white chipmunk climb out of the jar and onto the counter. The chipmunk squeaked and suddenly began to change shape. In a matter of nanoseconds it was no longer a chipmunk that sat on the counter. Now in its place was Coraline Logan, smiling brightly.

"You found me, Daddy," the little girl cried happily. "Now it's my turn to count."

The two parents looked on in shock as the little girl giggled to herself and jumped down from the counter. It seemed as if the look was not the only thing that had been passed down to the next generation.


	4. King of the Monsters

Little Coraline's stomach was in knots as she once again squeezed her violet eyes shut. Her little nose scrunched up and her lips curled into an unintentional sneer as she clenched her fists and did her best to concentrate. From a few yards away there came the voice of her father.

"Just relax," he said. "You're trying too hard."

The tone of his voice was strong and yet comforting; sympathetic to her struggles.

A little sigh of exertion escaped her lips and sweat beaded up on her temples.

"Coraline, take it easy," she heard her father say. "You're going to hurt yourself."

Again she grunted and sighed.

"I can do this," she declared.

With one final surge of wills the young girl could feel her power kicking in. Her whole body tingled as she commanded her form to change. She could feel the bones in her arms and legs restructuring themselves as fur began sprouting up all over her body. The sensations she felt as her entire being rearranged itself was alarming and yet at the same time strangely exhilarating. Making sure to keep the shape of her choosing in her mind's eye she continued concentrating until she felt that familiar pop, that special signal in her brain that let her know the transformation was complete.

Slowly she cracked open her eyes, her vision blurring temporarily before quickly righting itself. Holding absolutely still, she carefully turned her head until her new eyes fell on the image of her father. Unfortunately she could already tell something had gone wrong. Nevertheless she still waited to be addressed. If she could speak she would have chanced to ask if she had done it. If she had been successful. If she was a strong and elegant deer.

Though she couldn't speak the words she wanted to, Garfield could already tell right away what she was thinking. And just like always he hated to be the bearer of bad news. Wincing in disappointment, he scratched the back of his head let out a deep sigh.

"Well," he said hesitantly. "It's not quite a deer."

Moving her little eyes downward, she struggled to observe her new form. Inwardly she sighed in disappointment as instead of hooves she observed tiny clawed hands. She hung her little head in defeat as against her back she felt the soft and familiar tickle of a long bushy tale. Once again all she had managed to turn into was a squirrel.

With a quick thought Coraline released the mental hold she had on her transformation and quickly shifted back into human form. She let out a defeated sigh and slumped down onto the trunk of a fallen tree. Her shoulders rolled downward, elbow points pressed into her knees as her chin came to rest against the palms of her hands.

"Great," she lamented bitterly. "Another stupid squirrel."

Garfield chuckled.

"You might want to keep it down, sweetheart," he said. "We are in a forest. You might to offend someone."

Despite how much Coraline loved her father's sense of humor, at that particular moment she found it impossible to manage even the smallest laugh. Instead she simply gazed down at her boots, the gloves on her hands, the purple and black uniform that used to belong to her father that had now been passed down to her.

As soon as she had demonstrated to her parents her shape shifting ability, her father had taken it upon himself to be her teacher, to train her in the use of her powers. For almost a year now they had been coming out here to this wide clearing in this otherwise densely populated area of forest found several miles outside of the quiet suburb in which they lived. She always looked forward to her weekly lesson, but, while she had learned much since they started, the fact that she still could not transform into anything bigger than a dog was starting to discourage her. She just couldn't understand why she couldn't seem to get the hang of it.

Noting his daughter's obvious disappointment with her performance Garfield quickly but casually strolled over and took a seat beside her. He put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

For Garfield spending this time with his daughter, getting to be her teacher as well as her father, was almost a dream come true. At first he wasn't sure if he was happy or not about the fact that she had inherited his powers, but once he started teaching her he quickly warmed up to it. This was a chance for him to really make a personal connection with her. To be the kind of mentor to her that he never had himself: strong yet understanding. His daughter had been blessed with a great power, and it was up to him to make sure she learned how to use it responsibly.

"Honey," he said. "Don't take it so hard. When I was your age I could barely transform into anything bigger than a bush baby. Shape shifting is like flexing a muscle. The more you do it, the stronger that muscle gets and the more you're be able to do."

"Yeah, I know," she said with a long sigh.

"I'm serious," said Garfield. "Transforming didn't really become second nature to me until several years after I started. And I didn't make my first really big transformation until I was a teenager."

When Coraline didn't look up, Garfield gently wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close.

"Hey," he said. "Come on. Don't worry so much. You'll get the hang of it"

Deciding she needed cheering up, he quickly got to his feet and jogged a few steps away.

"I'll bet in no time at all you'll be able to go from this..." In a flash his form shifted into a tiny mouse. He then swiftly changed back and added, "..to this," before then changing into a towering green moose.

One thing Coraline always loved was seeing her father demonstrate his advanced shape shifting abilities. Watching him deftly change from one form to another with minimal difficulty always tickled her senses in just the right way, always lifting her spirits no matter how low.

Putting a hand over her mouth she let out a small giggle before quickly jumping from the log back on to her feet.

"More," she shouted excitedly.

Garfield smiled and rapidly shifted into a massive 20 foot long anaconda. He slithered about the grassy clearing before changing again, this time into a spring legged kangaroo. Hamming it up as best he could, he nimbly leapt from here to there all while reveling in his daughter's happiness. He heard Coraline laugh and again call for more, yelling that she wanted something bigger.

Concentrating he transformed into a hippo, lumbering about before shifting again into an mighty elephant. Again his daughter shouted for something bigger. With another thought he transformed into a T-Rex and then into a gigantic Brachiosaurus.

Coraline was laughing and jumping up and down, raising her arms to the sky as Garfield raised his massive head as high as he could on his enormous neck before finally shrinking back down to normal size and once again taking human form. He was breathing heavy but was otherwise completely fine. She cheered as she ran to him.

"What do you think?" said Garfield with a smile.

"More!" she cheered.

"More?" he echoed.

"Just one more," she replied.

Garfield smiled and thought for a moment before saying, "Okay, one more. Anything in particular?"

Coraline thought for a moment, putting her hand on her lip and looking down at the ground, before turning back to her father, her eyes shimmering with excitement.

"Something really, really big," she said.

Garfield laughed.

Again with the big.

"What? Wasn't the Brachiosaurus big enough?"

"No," smiled Coraline. "Bigger than that. I want to see the biggest animal you can do."

"The biggest animal I can do."

Garfield paused for a moment. He scratched his head. Turning 360 degrees he surveyed his surroundings.

"Alright," he said finally. "But I'm going to need a lot of room." Getting down on one knee he placed his hands on Coraline's shoulders and gently turned her until she was facing away from him. "You see that little hill over there," he said pointing with arm outstretched to a small elevation in front of them. "Go to the top of that hill. When you get to the top wave to me." He smirked. "Then you'll see something really cool."

* * *

It was early in the evening. Sitting in the big arm chair in the living room, completely relaxed, Garfield flipped absent mindedly through the channels as his wife Raven sat on the sofa, quietly reading to herself. There wasn't much on at the moment, at least nothing that appealed to Garfield's taste, so he was left to simply settle on the local news. It was then, after a story about the newest Justice to the Supreme Court, that one story in particular caught his attention.

"In the most bizarre story of the day, Channel Four asks, "Are we being invaded by giant movie monsters?" A local group of college students seems to think so. The group of Jump City U students were camping in the small forested area just outside the city when, around 2:30, they made a call to police claiming to have seen a giant monster towering above the trees."

Garfield's eyes widened in surprise. He fumbled for the remote, but as soon as his finger came to rest on the channel-up button Raven's voice quickly cut in.

"Don't move," she said plainly before marking her place in her book and turning her full attention to the TV screen

On the screen now was the image of a young man in about his twenties with neatly trimmed facial hair, wearing a backwards baseball cap.

"It just appeared out of nowhere," the student raved into the camera. "And it's strange cause, like, this thing was huge. Like ginormous huge. Bigger than a sky scraper. It was green and had these big spines going all the way down it's back."

As soon as the image of the teen appeared it then quickly vanished to be once again replaced with the aging news anchor.

"If that's not unusual enough when Channel Four asked the students to theorize what they believed the creature to be, one was quoted as saying, "I don't know, but frankly it looked just like Godzilla."

"Well," said the female co-anchor, butting in. "I guess someone should call Japan and ask them if they have any missing monsters."

The two anchors chuckled as a still image of the giant movie monster terrorizing Tokyo filled the screen. They then disappeared from view as they went to commercial.

"So," said Raven suddenly, turning and facing her husband, her arms crossed in front of her chest. "All that talk about teaching Coraline to use her powers responsibly, that was...what..exactly?"

Garfield gave a nervous smile along with a week chuckle.

"Would you believe it wasn't me?" he asked timidly.

Just then there came a sudden cry from upstairs.

"Daddy!" shouted Coraline from the hallway. "You were on TV!"

* * *

_A/N: I'm not embarrassed to admit that I've been a big Godzilla fan ever since I was a eight years old. The cheesy dialogue and bad dubbing? Giant monsters beating the snot out of each other? I love that stuff. I wrote this one shot because if my Dad could shapeshift I'd want to see what a full scale Godzilla looked like in person. That would be AWESOME!_


	5. Hero

It was a quiet weekday morning. The sun was just about peeking over the tree tops, slowly driving away the darkness of the night and bathing everything in the soft golden glow of morning. Within the warm confines of the Logan household was where Garfield currently found himself, sitting at the kitchen table, munching a piece of toast; his wife Raven busying herself at the stove with her teakettle; his daughter Coraline staring up at him in wide eyed anticipation.

"What happened next?" the young girl prodded with a big smile on her little face.

"Well," smiled Garfield in return. "Cinderblock and Plasmus were certainly a formidable duo. Cinderblock was super strong and with his massive stone body he could really take a pounding and keep coming back for more. Of course Plasmus was no slouch either. With his nasty goopy tentacles and his ability to spit a huge glob of acid in your face he could really do a number on you. But still none of that mattered. Because no matter how strong you are, nothing can match the awesome combined power of..." Puffing out his chest he made the sound of a trumpeting fanfare before boldly shouting, "THE TEEN TITANS."

Coraline cheered loudly and threw her hands into the air, nearly spilling her bowl of cereal in the process (though she hardly seemed to notice).

"Indoor voices please," said Raven calmly, gently placing a teabag into her mug of boiling water.

Immediately the two at the table shrunk down slightly in their seats, smiling nervously to one another. Garfield was silent for a moment before once again resuming his story, much to the continuing delight of Coraline as she scooped another spoonful of multicolored cereal pieces into her mouth.

"It was clear that like always Cinderblock and Plasmus weren't going to go down without a fight. They had worked hard to steal that money and there was no way they were going to just hand it over. So that was when Robin said what he always says in those situations

"Titans go!" declared Coraline.

"Titans go," echoed Garfield. "Kerplow we collided with the beasts. Sure they were tough, but we were tougher. Robin threw his exploding disc thingies. Kablamo! Your Uncle Victor used his laser canon and Auntie Kori shot her star bolts. Blam! Pow!"

As Garfield got deeper and deeper into his story, his motions became more animated. He started bouncing in his chair and waving his arms, mimicking explosions as well as other major parts of the battle. And just like every time he told these stories, Coraline was absolutely rivited.

"Did you turn into the T-Rex, Daddy?" asked the little girl excitedly.

"I sure did," declared Garfield. "I floored that overgrown rockpile with one mighty swing of my tail."

"And what about Mommy?"

Garfield smiled warmly.

"What else? Mommy was absolutely amazing, just like she always is. She soared through the air like an angel and took down Plasmus without even breaking a sweat."

"Wow!"

Placing her cheek to her hand Coraline smiled broadly, totally enthralled, as she listened to her father go on. If there was one thing she loved above all else it was the stories her father told about he and her mother back when they were Teen Titans. It filled her with a special sort of pride to know that her parents had worked hard to protect everyday people from bad guys.

"Here comes the school bus," said Raven suddenly. Releasing the curtains of the kitchen window, she hurriedly retrieved a brown paper bag full of lunchables from the fridge and stuffed it deep into her daughters rainforest green backpack.

Coraline quickly slurped down the remaining milk in her cereal bowl before scooting off her chair and giving her father a quick but strong hug.

"Bye Daddy," she said smiling as her father kissed her lovingly on the cheek. She then retrieved her waiting backpack from her mother's grasp and hugged her as well before quickly scurrying out the door.

Once Coraline had left, Raven, book in hand, calmly took a seat at the kitchen table across from Garfield just as he started to read the morning paper (He really just read the funnies but he liked to make it look as if that wasn't the case). She sipped her tea and nibbled at a piece of buttered toast, reading to herself as a natural and comfortable silence filled the kitchen.

"I remember that robbery," said Raven finally, abruptly breaking the silence and pulling Garfield away from the paper. "I also seem to remember Cinderblock swinging you around by the tale like he was in the Olympic hammer throw before tossing you into the bay."

Immediately Garfield blushed and began scratching the back of his head. He chuckled nervously.

"Well," he started. "That wouldn't have made for a very good hero story, would it?"

A small smirk worked its way to Raven's lips as she rolled her eyes and shook her head before she once again returned to her book, allowing herself to enjoy the quiet of the morning before heading off to work.

* * *

"It's probably nothing too serious, right?" said Garfield apprehensively as he turned the steering wheel steadily to the right and eased the blue Prius into the school parking lot.

The day had proceeded as normal until around 12:30 when the couple received a most unusual phone call from Mr. Evers, the principal of Coraline's school. The esteemed educator wouldn't say why, but assured them that it was of the utmost importance that he speak to the two of them right away. Leaving their bookstore in the hands of the hired help, the two wasted no time in jumping in the car and heading off towards the school, all the while their nervous minds rattling with thought of what the requested visit could possibly be about.

Locking the car doors behind them the two parents made their way up the walkway to the transparent front doors of the elementary school. Stepping foot into the lobby they quickly spotted the main office directly in front of them. Once on the inside they approached the secretary, a red haired woman appearing in her mid forties who was at the moment totally preoccupied with paperwork. After a moment or two of hesitation the two quietly and politely made their presence known.

"Excuse me," began Raven after clearing her throat. "We're Coraline Logan's parents here to see Principal Evers."

With her eyes still cast down at her desk, the woman gave a small nod of understanding as she took a few moments to finish organizing herself. When she finally did look up she gasped quietly in surprise, clearly not prepared to be confronted with such a unique looking couple as the Logans.

"Oh," gasped the secretary somewhat loudly. Blinking rapidly she looked back and forth from the green man to the pale grey woman, searching for the right words to say. Finally after a bit of gawking she managed to right herself and resume her professional demeanor. "Mr. and Mrs. Logan," she said. Looking down at a sheet of paper in her log book, she glided her finger down the page until it finally came to rest on small box with their names scribbled down. "Mmhmm. Go right in. The Principal is waiting for you."

Nodding politely- and not really taking offense to the secretary's brief episode -the two parents made their way past the small desk and deep into the office space until finally their eyes fell upon a small plaque with the name "Principal Martin Evers" written on it posted just outside an open doorway. With polite caution the two stepped into the doorway of the office, immediately spotting a greying, bespectacled man of about fifty or so sitting at a large brown desk at the far end of the room.

"Principal Evers?" said Raven, questioningly after gently knocking on the open door.

The man looked up.

"Mr. and Mrs. Logan," he declared. The tone of his voice possessed little warmth as he gestured to the two chairs located directly in front of his desk, inviting the two parents standing in the doorway to take a seat,.

As Garfield and Raven sat, Principal Evers repositioned himself a bit in his chair. He then removed his glasses and informally clasped his fingers together on his desk, leaning forward on his elbows.

"I'm afraid I have some rather unfortunate news," he said.

There was a brief moment of tension as the two parents braced themselves for the worst.

"It seems that during recess your daughter Coraline was seen hitting and pushing a fellow classmate. Apparently there was a dispute of some kind over a piece of playground equipment, but we do know for a fact that she was the one to throw the first punch."

Garfield's eyes widened in shock as his eyebrows furrowed in disbelief. Immediately he felt like leaping to his feet and telling the middle aged educator that his daughter did not start fights, but for the moment he was able to control himself. His eyes found their way to Raven's and though she didn't wear her disbelief as plainly as he did, it was easy to tell it was there.

After a brief pause to let the information sink in, Principal Evers cleared his throat and continued.

"When asked why she did what she did, Coraline simply said that she was a superhero and wanted to punish the bad guys. Now I understand that you two have done a lot for Jump City- in fact you were the ones who saved my wife's sister from being trampled by that Mammoth character- but I'm afraid that this school doesn't tolerate violence of any kind."

"Wait, wait," said Garfield, finally finding his voice. "Coraline's a good kid. She wouldn't just hit someone for no reason. I mean what's the whole story here? What really happened?"

"This school, Mr. Logan, doesn't tolerate violence of ANY kind," said Principal Evers again, this time stronger than before. "As for what happened I'm afraid none of the teachers on duty saw the whole ordeal and the children had conflicting stories. But regardless I believe it's up to both of you to have a talk with your daughter about her behavior. As punishment she's being sent home for the rest of the day; you can pick her up in the lobby."

Once again Garfield felt driven to contest Principal Evers accusations, but before he could speak he felt Raven's firm hand on his wrist.

"We definitely will," she said with authority as she leaned forward in her chair reaching out for the Principals hand. "I'm so sorry for this whole thing Principal Evers. We'll see to it that it doesn't happen again."

Biting his tongue, Garfield followed Raven's lead, shaking Principal Evers' hand before accompanying his wife to the exit. On their way out they overheard the man pressing the button down on his intercom.

"Miss Walsh," he said clearly into the small box. "Please inform Coraline Logan that her parents are here for her."

* * *

The tension in the car on the ride home hung thick in the air like fog. For several minutes there was only silence, Garfield driving with Raven in the passenger seat looking straight ahead; Coraline sitting in nervous anticipation in the back.

"So are you going to tell us what happened?" said Raven abruptly, finally shattering the still like a brick through a plate glass window.

"It wasn't my fault," pleaded Coraline after a moment. "It was all Joey Miller. He started the whole thing."

"What happened?" said Garfield, really wishing to finally know the whole story.

"Me and Jennifer were playing catch with the red dodge ball and then Joey walked over and took it. And he said "Girls aren't supposed to play ball." And then I said, "Give it back," and he said, "No," and then I said, "Give it back or I'm going to clobber you," and then he laughed and said I was a sissy...So clobbered him and he fell down. And then he started crying and that's when the teacher came over. And he said I hit him but he started it."

Once Coraline's longwinded recollection of the day's events came to a halt another silence filled the car until eventually Garfield spoke.

"Is that the whole story?"

Coraline nodded, saying "Uh huh."

There was a pause before finally Garfield let out a long relived sigh.

"Okay then," he said. "Well, I'm glad that's settled."

Coraline was ready to breathe a sigh of relief herself when Raven suddenly and sternly interjected herself into the conversation.

"What do you mean that's settled?" shot the empath accusingly at the man beside her. She then turned her attention to the backseat, her eyes flashing with disapproval. "Let me tell you, you are in very big trouble, young lady."

The little girl shook in surprise and immediately cast her eyes down at the floor of the car. Meanwhile Garfield's eyes widened in surprise. He threw quick glances in Raven's direction, attempting to glare at her while at the same time keeping his eyes on the road.

"Whoa, why is she in trouble?" he questioned sharply, his voice thick with disbelief. "Some bully was calling her names and trying to take her ball. She was just defending herself."

Ignoring Garfield's comments, Raven kept her eyes focused on Coraline, her finger raised in a lecturing manner as she spoke.

"You listen to me, Coraline Logan. You do not go around hitting people. Do you understand me? And when we get home you are going to go right upstairs to your room and you are going to stay there."

"Raven, what are you doing?" said Garfield.

"What do you mean what am I doing? Our daughter's misbehaved and I'm disciplining her. What are you doing?"

"What do you mean she's misbehaved? You heard her. She didn't start the fight, that other kid did. Why are you flipping out when all she did was stand up for herself?"

Pausing for a moment Raven took a deep breath. Silently her mantra wafted over her lips as she closed her eyes and collected herself. Sensing the situation starting to get out of control she decided it was best to set things aside for the time being.

"We can talk about this when we get home," she said calmly, settling back down in her seat.

"You bet we're going to talk about this," muttered Garfield under his breath.

And once again there was silence.

As soon as they walked through the door, Raven once again ordered Coraline to her room, although this time in a much less authoritarian manner.

"Go to your room, Coraline," she said sternly. "You're father and I will come get you when we're ready to speak to you."

Without a word the little violet haired girl slunk to the bottom of the stairs, dashed up the steps and disappear from sight.

With Coraline gone, Raven and Garfield turned and faced one another. Each had their arms folded in front of their chest as they stared at one another in heated anticipation.

"So what's your problem?" said Garfield after a beat.

"My problem?" Raven scoffed in utter disbelief. "My problem? Why is it that I'm the only one who's handling this situation like an adult?"

"Don't you believe her?"

"Of course I believe her. I know she doesn't go looking for trouble, and I know for a fact she was telling the truth about what happened. But she needs to learn that going around using your fists is not the way you settle things."

"It worked pretty good for us all those years."

Raven's eyes flared in shock and anger.

"Garfield! This is serious," she shot loudly.

"It was a joke. I'm sorry," answered Garfield, raising his voice well. He began pacing. "Of course I know this is serious, but I just think you're being TOO serious."

Their anger was clearly getting the better of them as each parent noisily made his or her case to the other. It had been a long time since they'd had such a loud and heated argument.

"I just want to set a good example for our daughter," said Raven practically shouting.

"Oh and I don't?" shot Garifield.

"You don't if you think it's okay letting her believe that all there is to being a hero is beating people up whenever they piss you off. What if next time she uses her powers?"

"You're blowing this way out of proportion. She wouldn't do that."

"How do you-"

Raven halted her sentence mid shout as her eyes suddenly found their way over Garfield's shoulder to the little girl now standing at the bottom of the stairs. The little girl who now stood with tears in her eyes and a whimper on her lips.

"Coraline," said Raven calmly. "I thought I told you to wait in your room."

The little girl bowed her head.

"I'm sorry," she whined. "I'm sorry for fighting. And I promise I'll never do it again. Just please don't yell anymore."

Immediately the two parents were overcome by silence, both feeling somewhat ashamed for letting things get so out of hand. They looked at one another for a moment before letting their eyes return to the quietly sobbing girl in front of them.

"Come here, kiddo," said Garfield gently.

Coraline immediately did as she was told and all three family members slowly walked into the kitchen and took their respective places at the table. Again Garfield and Raven looked to one another, each silently asking the other which one of them should speak first. Eventually Garfield gave a small nod, intimating Raven to say her peace.

"Now, Coraline, do you know why we don't want you fighting?"

The little girl paused for a moment, silently pondering the question and searching for the appropriate answer.

"Because it makes you mad?" she said questioningly

Raven shook her head slowly.

"No, sweetie, we don't want you fighting because...well...fighting isn't a very smart thing to do. It's dangerous and it seldom ever accomplishes anything."

"But I was only trying to be a superhero like you and Daddy. You guys fought lots of times. Protecting the city from bad guys."

"Yes, we did," said Raven, nodding in agreement. "But we only did so when we had no other choice. We only fought if it looked like people might get seriously hurt if we didn't. And besides there's much more to being a hero than fighting."

"Like what?"

Raven let a small smile pass over her lips.

"Let me tell you a story," she said. "A long time ago when you're father and I were just kids ourselves I became friends with a man named Malchior. At the time there was nothing more important to me in the entire world than him. I thought he felt the same, but then one day he revealed his true colors and he hurt me worse than I'd ever been hurt in my life."

"What did he do?"

"He broke my heart?"

"He did?"

Raven nodded.

"After that I felt so alone. I was ready to completely seal myself away from the world and give up on ever finding happiness." Raven flashed Garfield a quick smile. "And that's when Daddy came to me. He was actually kind of scared of me back in those days, and didn't really like talking to me, but still he comforted me all the same and reminded me that I wasn't alone, that I had friends and people who cared about me. And in that one moment of honesty and compassion, your father was more of a hero to me than anyone ever had been. And it wasn't because he used his fists, it was because he used his heart."

Silence over came the kitchen as Coraline and Garfield alike took in Raven's words, turning them over in their respective heads. After a deep breath the empath continued.

"Being a hero is about helping people, Coraline. It's about being there for someone when they need you the most. As much as your father and I fought bad guys we also spent a great deal of time doing things like putting out fires, rescuing people from danger, and just lending our help to anyone that needed it. It was those things that really made us heroes. Do you understand?"

Slowly Coraline nodded.

"Good."

With the tiniest of smiles, Raven reached out and secured her daughter and a soft and loving embrace, placing a kiss at the top of her head as she did so.

"I love you, sweetie," she said.

"Love you too, Mommy," answered Coraline.

The little girl then removed herself from her mother's grasp and went to her father with her arms outstretched. Garfield smiled and embraced the youngster.

"Love you, Daddy," said Coraline.

"Love you too," said Garfield. For a moment he looked at Raven before returning his eyes to the girl in his arms. "Now why don't you go back upstairs to your room and we'll call you when dinners ready?"

"Okay," said Coraline.

The little girl turned to make her exit. Before she could disappear entirely from sight, however, she turned back and faced the two adults still sitting at the table with a hopeful glint in her eyes.

"Do you think tomorrow I could hear more about how you saved people and stuff?"

Raven smirked and turned to Beast Boy.

"What about it, mister story teller?" she teased.

Garfield smiled.

"You got it, kiddo," he said.

Coraline smiled brightly before turning and quickly scrambling up the stairway to her room.

Once again alone together, Raven and Garfield found themselves bathed in silence though this time lacking the most unfortunate tension of before. Finally, after a breif stint of deliberation, the changeling managed the strength within him to face his wife and say what needed to be said.

"I'm sorry, Rave," he moaned, rubbing the back of his neck. "You were right." He chuckled weakly to himself. "You're always right."

At this Raven shook her head.

"It's not about being right, Gar," she said. "We're in this together. Coraline's a great kid. She knows the difference between right and wrong, and you're just as much to thank for that as I am."

Smiling Garfield nodded. He then turned to Raven.

"Were you being serious when you told Coraline that me being there for you that time was the most heroic thing I ever did?"

Raven smirked. Calmly she got up from the table and slowly made her way around to where Garfield sat on the other side.

"Well," she said. "Maybe not the MOST heroic thing." She then gently eased herself down until she settled in the green man's lap, lovingly wrapping her arms around his neck in the process. "There was one other thing." Smirking she placed a long and passionate kiss on his waiting lips as she gently ran her palm across his cheek. After a period of soft and slow kissing she finally pulled away and gazed into his emerald green eyes. "But that's a whole 'nother story."


	6. Gift

_A/N: A little something for the holiday season. Hope you enjoy it._

Coraline Logan was asleep to begin with. She paid no mind to the harsh cold just outside her frost laden window nor did she to the wind moving swiftly through the barren trees, sounding for all the world like the howl of a lone wolf. She gave heed to none of these things rather, from the warm embrace of her bed, she simply dreamed the night away, the picture of peace and tranquility. Of course that wasn't to say that getting to this point had been easy. In fact one could say it was the most difficult task she had ever accomplished in her entire five and three quarter years of life on the planet. More than an hour's worth of tossing and turning had preceded her slumber. Her ever growing excitement over the following day's events was palpable and forcing sleep to take possession of her delicate, little body had been no easy task. Eventually her eyelids did become heavy, however, and her excitement became subdued long enough for the quiet and comfort of her bed to work its magic and lull her off to sleep. It was very fortunate that sleep took her when it did. After all, no child wants to miss Christmas.

It was just down the stairs in the living room that the night found the sleeping Coraline's mother Raven, sitting comfortably on the couch, the perennial holiday classic _A Christmas Carol_ in hand.

While one may think Raven's interest in the holiday season would be mild at best such was actually not the case. In reality, the empath derived quite a bit of pleasure from it thanks in large part to her family and friends.

Raven's whole life her emotions had been one of her greatest enemies. She had feared them as much as she had feared herself. Since before she could remember it was drilled into her to always keep her feelings in check, to never let them get out of hand else she become victim to the terrible will of her father. Despite there being a handful of celebratory times in Azerath, for her, such times of jubilation may as well have been non-existent. In short she had nothing. It wasn't until much later, when she'd met the Teen Titans that she was first introduced to the idea of Christmas and actually had means to celebrate something.

At first she had to admit she was quite put off by the holiday as it seemed to bring about everything that she detested the most: obnoxiously large crowds, noise, garish colors and just about everything that was meant to overload her fragile senses was out in full swing. As was the case with most things at that time in her life, she failed to see the point of it. However, she soon warmed to the idea. Being forced her whole life to maintain absolute control of her emotions had left her with very few ways of expressing herself (She found this to be the case even after she was liberated of her father's terrible influence). The Titans meant the world to her, but she more or less had no way of telling them; however, with Christmas, she saw a golden opportunity to show them. Every year she took great care in choosing each Titan's gift. She made absolutely sure that not only would it be something they would enjoy, but also something that was a personal reflection of who they were as as a person and how she felt for them. Such diligence in gift giving only grew tenfold after starting a family. Her husband and daughter meant more to her than was capable of putting into words, and the joy she felt coursing through each of them during the excitement of Christmas morning gave her a feeling of unimaginable warmth; it was what she looked forward to most every year.

As Raven quietly basked in the serenity of the evening, book in hand, her husband Garfield lost himself in his favorite holiday television specials. Lying shoulder-to-cushion on the couch, his head resting comfortably in the lap of his wife, he fixed his eyes to the television. As he watched, Raven gently ran her fingers through his hair, reminding him of her presence as well as her love.

Both were comfortable and it was quite sometime later before the silence was broken.

"Rave," said Garfield, suddenly bringing an end to the still. "Raven, look. You're missing it. He's stealing Christmas."

Looking up momentarily from her book, Raven caught sight of Garfield gesturing to the TV screen where a tall but pudgy, green Santa impersonator was busy snatching up presents and Christmas decorations, and stuffing everything into a massive red sack.

Rolling her eyes and giving a little smirk, Raven returned her attention to her book.

"I know, Gar," she said, still continuing to gently massage her husband's scalp with her fingertips. "He steals Christmas every year."

Giving a small sigh, Garfield rotated gently on the couch until he rested on his back. Feeling his movements, Raven instinctively altered her hand placement, moving her hand from his head to the underside of his face and lovingly cupping his cheek with her palm.

"Come on, hon," Garfield implored, gazing longingly up at the violet haired woman above him. "It's Christmas Eve. This is what people do on Christmas Eve: They watch the classics."

"This is a classic," answered Raven, gesturing slightly to the paperback in her hands, holding it out slightly and tilting it downward so Garfield could see the title.

Garfield sighed.

"Yeah, I know," he answered dryly after a moment of slight hesitation. Briefly another silence fell over the living room. "You know when we were in the store I asked you if you wanted to rent A Christmas Carol and you said no."

Looking away from her book Raven cast her gaze at the green man lying in her lap.

"That's because you wanted to rent the version with the talking socks," she replied bluntly.

"They're called Muppets," answered Garfield with a small pout, sounding almost offended at the idea that she would dare make such a mistake.

"Whatever," answered Raven, again turning her attention back to her book as Garfield rolled his head to the side and resumed his television watching.

Once more silence befell the room as the two as each continued their own personal celebration of the season. It was right about when the clock hanging above the mantle struck ten that Garfield's television show ended. Giving a small yawn, he gently extricated himself from warmth of Raven's lap and pulled himself into a sitting position on the couch.

"Well," he said. "What next?"

Taking a moment to look to her husband out of the corner of her eye, Raven then looked at the clock before marking off her spot and carefully setting her book down on the coffee table.

"I think it would be best to turn in," she said bluntly

"Huh?" answered Garfield, scrunching his eyes in mild confusion. "But it's still early. I was going to put in Die Hard."

At that Raven simply stopped, her train of thought completely derailed.

"Die Hard?" she echoed after a moment. "I thought you said Christmas Eve was about watching the classics."

"It is a classic."

"What about Christmas classics?"

"Well..." For a moment Garfield hesitated, appearing as if he were desperately trying to figure out the best argument for his case. "It takes place on Christmas Eve...and it ends with the song Let it Snow."

Raven took a brief moment to simply stare at Garfield in near complete and utter bewilderment before once again finding enough of her bearings to return to her initial point.

"Well, regardless," she said finally. "I think we're both better off getting to bed. You-know-who is bound to be up early tomorrow looking to open her gifts."

Despite how wired he was, Garfield knew Raven brought up a good point. It was probably for the best to get some sleep while he could, and reluctantly he admitted defeat. Before either of them retired however there was still one last thing to do: it was time to lay out the gifts.

From the dining room closet came boxes of all shapes and sizes, each decorated with bright and festive holiday paper. Each gift was placed lovingly under the tree; from big to small they fanned out from the base of the tree in a most decorative fashion, further adding to its beauty.

"I think we may have gone a little overboard," said Raven at one point.

"What do you mean?" questioned Garfield, fixing the positioning of a present. "We got her everything she asked for."

"I know, but maybe getting Coraline used to a _little _disappointment wouldn't be such a bad idea."

Garfield offered a small smile.

"There's always next year," he said somewhat jokingly as he carefully sat slid another present under the tree.

For several minutes more they worked like this, taking presents from the dining room and placing them under the tree, until, finally, with task complete, they each took a seat several steps back on the carpeted floor. Leaning against one another in a loving embrace they gazed upon their finished work.

Smiling with satisfaction Garfield gently rubbed his hand up and down Raven's shoulder, all the while pulling her ever closer. The sight of the beautiful, shimmering tree, with it's sparkling tinsel and dozens of gently twinkling lights, glowing softly in the dim light of the living room was nearly overwhelming to him. He had celebrated many Christmas's in his lifetime and while the holiday had always done much to brighten his spirits he could honestly say it had ever meant as much to him as it had in recent memory.

For Garfield most Christmas', it seemed, either were not remembered, (too young) were non-existent, (All the years he spent on his own) or were celebrated under duress (Any Christmas while serving under the Doom Patrol or the Titans). It wasn't until he married Raven and settled down that he really started enjoying himself during the month of December. Being with his wife and daughter during such a universally joyous time brought him more happiness than he'd ever known in his lifetime. They were his life, his love; they were his reason to celebrate. They were all he ever really wanted.

"I have to admit," said Raven suddenly after a few moments of silence. "It does look really nice when everything's all in place."

Garfield smiled.

"It does doesn't it," he said.

Slowly both Garfield and Raven faced one another before sharing a brief and gentle kiss; their love for one another glowed as brightly as the tree before them.

It was then, at the conclusion of this loving gesture, that Raven carefully pulled herself out of Garfield's grasp and began crawling on her hands and knees the short distance to the Christmas tree. Once within range, she retrieved a single package from within the sea of brightly colored paper and low hanging, green branches. She then quickly crawled back.

"Here," she said placing the small, hand-sized box in Garfield's lap.

"What's this?"asked Garfield, with a small smile.

"Do I really need to explain to you how this works?" asked Raven, mock teasing him as she looped her arm in his and resumed her place at his side.

"But it's not Christmas yet."

"It's okay. I want you to have this one now." A tiny smile crossed her lips. "Besides it's really more for both of us."

Smiling brightly and doing his best to stifle his excitement, Garfield carefully removed the red and white bow before tearing away at the golden paper to find a simple white box underneath. Lifting up the flaps he opened the package wide, unveiling his gift.

At first he was uncertain of what to make of his present, being unable to readily identify it. As he studied the object closer, however, his memory soon kicked in and everything became crystal clear.

He did not have much experience with the object before him, but he had seen one once before about five years ago. Excitement and joy began surging through his body as he looked closer upon the small white stick-like object, soon spotting a simple note alongside it that simply stated: _Two lines = positive. Merry Christmas, Daddy. _Turning to the woman beside him a bright smile crossed his face.

"Rave," he said softly. "Is this... I mean I know we wanted to see if we could... are you really...?"

Raven said not a word, rather she simply nodded and placed a hand on her stomach. The sensations emanating from her husband upon receiving his gift, a gift that was as much for her as it was for him, began flowing through her body. It was such an incredible feeling, one she had been looking forward to for weeks.

Unable to hold it in any longer, Garfield quickly moved and seized his lovely wife's lips in his own, kissing her with as much passion and love as he could muster. His feelings for her burned in his mind and in his heart. All he ever really wanted for Christmas was his family and now he had gotten it...

...plus one.


	7. Strength

Her stomach was in knots. For what must have been the hundredth time her eyes drifted to the digital read out at the bottom right hand corner of the screen before then moving to the white circular clock hanging upon the wall; much like every time before, both were exactly the same. She drummed her fingers nervously against the top of the desk in a steady rhythmic fashion. Just to her right was a new book she'd just picked up from the library, and, though it was quite entertaining, for the moment, she found it impossible to read. She checked the time again and much to her vexation, nothing had changed.

Raven really wasn't sure why she kept putting herself through this. There was no guarantee that the call was forthcoming. She was well aware that Garfield's schedule was far from concrete and subject to change at a moment's notice; if he was free to call at the arranged time then he would, if he wasn't then he would not; it was as simple as that. Still that didn't stop her from waiting by the computer in their quiet little home and praying that she would see that wonderful smile of his suddenly appear before her. It didn't stop her from hoping that everything was still alright and wishing that he was still safe from harm. It was always the not knowing whether or not all that wishing and hoping was doing any good that tore at her the most and filled her with unprecedented dread.

She had nearly just begun to consider getting up to get a glass of water when suddenly from the blank computer screen before her came a short and high pitched bleeping sound. She immediately snapped to attention and before she could do anything else a small window opened up in the center of the screen, a green and smiling face beaming at her from within.

"Hey hon," said a slightly static-y but all too familiar voice.

Raven's spirits soared as the mere sound of her husband's voice caused the dread and fear from before to quickly vanish into nothingness. She could feel her face lighting up as she instinctively leaned forward in her chair.

"Garfield, hi," she practically shouted. There was a desperation in her voice which she detected immediately and which she quickly tried to camouflage. It was a fine line she always tried to walk when speaking to him like this. She wanted him to miss her and to know that she missed him, but she never wanted to make him feel guilty for being gone. It was of the utmost importance that his head remained clear and free of conflict; it was her way of trying to keep him safe. She wanted to be his strength not his weakness.

The image of the green man smiled before nervously scratching the back of his head. His voice dropped an octave as he discretely bowed, saying:

"Rave, I hate to keep telling you this, but Mento's a real stickler for this kind of stuff. I mean I don't like it anymore than you do, but it's just for right now, you know?"

Her slight smile remained on her face but inwardly Raven let out an embittered sigh. His name was Garfield Logan; he was her husband and the father of her children. He had not been Beast Boy to her in years. It mattered little that he was once again wearing the purple and black attire of his old superhero self; to her he would forever be Garfield. She saw no reason to call him by anything else. Ignoring the small irritancy, she raised her head and turned slightly so that she was facing the doorway.

"Coraline!" she called loudly, enough so that her voice would carry down the hall and up the stairs. "Coraline, come here! Daddy's calling."

Almost instantaneously there came an eruption of tiny thunder from the ceiling, a miniature stampede of little feet, as Raven and Beast Boy's only daughter came running down the stairs, into the office and up to the computer.

"Daddy!" cried the young girl happily, nearly diving on top of the desk as she ran to her mother's side.

"Hey, Kiddo!" answered Garfield with a brilliant smile. "How's my girl today?"

"I'm fine, Daddy," beamed Coraline. "How are you? Are you coming home soon?"

"Well.." Garfield hesitated. "Grandma and Grandpa still need my help here so I'm afraid I gotta stay a little while longer, but I swear I'll be home as soon as I can."

"Are you gonna kick some bad guy butt?"

"Oh yeah, there's definitely going to be some major butt-kicking going on."

Coraline gave a bright smile before letting out an excited, "Yeah!"

With eyes focused on little Coraline, Raven wrestled with her thoughts. She wanted this separation from her father to be as easy for her as possible, but the young girl's head had been so filled with stories of Raven and Beast Boy, The Teen Titans, battling evil that she wasn't sure she really understood the danger of it. She wondered if perhaps she should talk to her about the possibility that something might happen, that there was a chance that Daddy might not come back. The thought alone was scary enough to her, but she couldn't even begin to imagine what it would be like for someone so young. Either way, saying something or not saying something, she wondered what kind of damage it would cause.

"Daddy, look!" said Coraline quickly, snapping Raven out of her thoughts. "I learned how to turn into a beaver," The little girl leaned lightly on the desk and in a flash her little body morphed into that of the small furry animal. She chattered her teeth for a moment before once again shifting back into human form and letting out a bright and cheery, "See?"

"Wow!" exclaimed Garfield with a broad smile. "Nice going, kiddo!"

"I have other animals to show you too, but Mommy says not in the house," said Coraline, giving a quick look to Raven who then returned the questioning glance with a small and simple nod.

"Well, Mommy knows best," answered Garfield, giving Raven a wink.

"I'm gonna go practice so they'll be really good when you come back," said Coraline. She let out a bright and chipper, "Bye Daddy!" before quickly zipping out of the room and out the front door.

"Bye!" called Garfield a tad too late to be heard. He let out a small chuckle before turning his attention to Raven, still sitting quietly in front of him. "How are you doing, hon?"

"Managing," replied Raven, lightly rubbing the back of her neck. "Though I hesitate telling you this, let it be known that I never realized just how much you did to help around here. I'm exhausted."

Garfield's disposition became somber.

"I'm really sorry about this, Rave," he said somewhat sadly. "I had no idea that it would take this long. I never would have..."

Registering his emotions even over so great a distance, Raven was quick to realize her error. Straightening herself she raised her head and brought an arrogant smirk to her face.

"Whoa, don't let it go to your head, Mr. Man," she replied teasingly. "I still got things under control. I'm just saying your...small contributions...did make things a tad easier."

A small throaty chuckle escaped Garfield's lips. His smile once again returned to his face and for a moment he simply sat staring at his beautiful wife, his eyes filled with the kind of warm glow that only she could instill.

"I miss you," he said finally.

"I miss you too," replied Raven, the smirk disappearing from her lips.

An air of silence filled the room as neither Raven nor Garfield felt any inclination to speak. It was a moment that neither wished to ruin with unnecessary words. Or at least that was how it first appeared.

"Hey," said Garfield suddenly. "How 'bout a kiss?"

Immediately the screen was filled with the bright green fleshy mounds that were Garfield's lips as he made obnoxious smooching and kissing noises into the camera. Upon seeing such a display, Raven's smirk once again returned.

"You'll never stop finding new ways to annoy me, will you?" she said, cocking an eyebrow.

"Come on, one kiss," was Garfield's only answer as he once again continued his mock make out session with the computer screen.

"You know I only settle for the real thing," said Raven folding her arms under her breasts and leaning back slightly in her chair.

Garfield let out a small, disappointed groan as he once again settle back into his seat. Another small silence passed between the two of them before he spoke again, saying, "Hey, how about letting me see my son?"

Bowing her head, Raven gave a small embarrassed smile. Still facing the camera, she then climbed to her feet. Turning slightly so that her body was in profile she slowly lifted the bottom of her t shirt, and exposed her swollen stomach to the man on the screen.

"Wow!" Garfield exclaimed. "He's gonna be a biggun, isn't he?"

"He certainly feels like it."

"And you're sure it's going to be a boy?"

"Positive."

"Wow. Just think, Rave, soon there'll be a miniature me running around."

"I think Coraline's the miniature you. With any luck I'll get a miniature me."

Lowering her shirt Raven once again took her seat. Both she and Garfield were smiling now, their own respective worries all but completely forgotten. For roughly ten minutes they chatted idly about the humdrum and the mundane (Work, school, etc.) before finally the easily identifiable voice of Mento informed Garfield that it was time for a team meeting and therefore time to sign off.

"I gotta go, hon," said Garfield sadly.

"I know," answered Raven.

"I swear I'm going to get through this and come home as soon as I can."

"Please stay safe, Garfield."

"I will."

There was another pause. Neither wanted it to end, but both knew that it must.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

After a bit of fumbling and hesitation, Garfield's image disappeared from the screen and once again Raven found herself sitting before nothing more than an empty lifeless computer. Already she could feel the dread of not knowing begin to rise up in her chest. She felt like crying, but refused to do so. By the force of her own incredible will, she held back the river of tears wanting desperately to be set loose. Now was simply not the time.

There soon came the sound of the front door opening and closing followed by Coraline's little voice.

"Mommy," called the young girl, pulling off her jacket. "Can I have lunch?"

Swallowing Raven quickly rubbed her eyes.

Garfield wasn't the only one for whom she needed to be strong.

"Of course," she replied her voice as strong and steady as ever. "What do you want?"

**_Dedicated to all those with loved ones serving in the armed forces. Stay strong._**


	8. The Life

**_Eleven Years Earlier_**

Beast Boy was still warding off the waking hours of the morning, tucked away in the sheets and blankets of his bed, when the blaring sound of the Titan alarm came roaring into his bedroom, penetrating his ears like a bullet. Head spinning, eyes still blurry from sleep, he muttered random bits of nonsense while clumsily flailing for what he at first assumed to simply be the alarm clock. Unfortunately for the fifteen year old changeling he had completely forgotten he had fallen asleep in the top bunk the night before, and, after blindly swatting at the air beside him, he suddenly found his weight shifting and his sense of balance being torn away. A bewildered cry escaped his lips just as he tumbled ass over head over the side of the bed and landed on the back of his head with an unceremonious thud.

With his body folded up like an accordion, head in between his knees and the majority of his weight resting on his shoulders, he looked up at the ceiling and made his best conscious effort to stop the spinning of the world around him. Before his mind could entirely clear, however, he suddenly became aware of a voice, rising up over the frantic chiming of the still going Titan alarm, calling out to him.

"Beast Boy," the voice said. "Beast Boy, come on!" it said again.

Rotating the best he could giving his awkward position the green boy managed to cast a glance to the open doorway to find Robin in full uniform, looking very impatient. Gripping the doorframe tightly in one hand the Boy Wonder scowled disapprovingly at Beast Boy's current predicament, saying, "Beast Boy, we've got an emergency. Get up, get dressed and get to the garage or we're leaving without you," before disappearing from sight

Shaking his head rapidly from side to side, Beast Boy did his best to shoo away the lingering effects of his fall while managing a raspy, "Coming. I'm coming," up from his dry and unused throat. Rolling onto his knees he then quickly jumped to his feet. Searching frantically from side to side he spotted his dirty uniform from the day before lying in a crumpled heap on the floor. Snatching it up into his claws he roughly jammed his legs and body and arms hard into the stretchy material as fast as he could. His heart was pounding in his chest and a wide, cheek-to-cheek smile spread across his face. A remarkable feeling of fear and apprehension mixed with excitement raced through his body, filling him and urging him to do everything he could to make his hands work faster. As he zipped himself up he heard a shout from the hallway, Cyborg asking him whether or not he was coming. With his shoes unbuckled and his gloves in his teeth he did his best to voice his response before dashing out into the hallway.

_**Eleven Years Later**_

Garfield's ears twitched and flicked back and forth on the side of his head, quick like finger snaps, at the sound of his alarm clock softly sounding on the nightstand beside his bed. He groaned a small groan from the bottom of his throat before silencing the small device with a quick smack. He then rolled over on his mattress until he lay on his side ear-to-pillow. Instinctively his hand began sweeping back and forth on the mattress, searching out the warm body of his wife. When his search turned up nothing he let loose a small, disappointed moan then rolled onto his back and lolled his head to the side. Forcing his eyes open he stared the now silent alarm clock- it's digital readout showing clearly the time 8:30 AM.

He remembered it was Saturday. The new hires would be running the book store and there was no discernable reason to wake up as early as he was. He found, however, now that he'd gotten older, that he was troubled by the idea of letting the day get too far out of his grasp. And so it was, after another small groan and a loud stretch, that he removed himself from the warm comfort of his bed to begin his day.

_**Eleven Years Earlier**_

The scene was a train carrying 50 million dollars worth of gold bullion. It had made a brief stopover in Jump City and that was when The Hive Five had made their move. Like vultures they descended upon the vessel, attempting to seize control. To the credit of the officers protecting the train they had managed to delay the advances of the superpowered juvenile delinquents long enough to get the train moving again. The Five were anything if not determined however and swiftly gave chase. With See-more keeping pace beside the train in a large moving truck, Mammoth, Jinx, Gizmo and Private H.I.V.E. busted their way into one of the cars and began loading up the truck brick by gold brick.

And that was where the Teen Titans came in.

Sitting in the passenger seat of the T-Car, Beast Boy looked expectantly out the window as his friend and teammate Cyborg negotiated the vehicle alongside the train. In his mind he quickly relayed the instructions given to the team by Robin prior to their arrival. His part was to board the train from the left while Robin approached on his R-cycle from the right. Raven and Starfire were going to descend on it from above and Cyborg was to make sure that See-more didn't get away with what was already in the truck. With a deep breath and an excited grin, Beast Boy opened his passenger side door.

"You ready to kick some bad guy booty, Cyborg?" called Beast Boy over his shoulder doing his best to elevate his voice above the din of the wind and the speeding train.

"You know it, little buddy," answered the metal man with a smirk.

After giving his friend a reassuring thumbs up, Beast Boy quickly transformed into a monkey and sprang from the safety of the car seat. He felt the wind violently greet his small green body as he soared through the air before snatching the edge of a car roof and flipping himself up.

_**Eleven Years Later**_

Wiping a bit of sweat from his brow, Garfield stepped over the threshold from the garage into the kitchen. Without hesitation he kicked off his sneakers and made his way to the sink. After running his hands under the warm water for a moment and administering a healthy dose of anti-bacterial soap he began thoroughly scrubbing away the dirt and oil that he had collected over the past hour. Over his palms and wrists and up his arms, he spread the lather, making absolutely sure to rid himself of every black, grimy spot. Once completely satisfied he rinsed off the excess soap, shut off the water and dried his hands with the nearest dishtowel. Making his way from the kitchen into the living room he found his wife, Raven, sitting comfortably in a reclined position on the sofa, a book gently clasped in her fingers, balanced slightly on her swollen stomach, and a rather large bowl of cheese flavored popcorn sitting in the seat beside her.

"Hey," he said as he entered.

"Hey," she answered, pleasantly.

"I rotated your tires and did an oil change, so you're all set with that stuff," he said.

"Thank you," she replied.

Garfield casually made his way to the stairs. When about halfway there he turned once more back to Raven and asked her if she needed anything. When she looked up from her book and replied that she was fine, he continued on his way.

_**Eleven Years Earlier**_

Beast Boy yelped in surprise as he narrowly avoided another decapitating blow from the seven-foot-tall lumbering behemoth known as Mammoth. The giant roared in anger and made swing after murderous swing towards the scrappy young changling, forcing him back several paces. Assessing the situation Beast Boy continued backpedaling, avoiding all of Mammoth's blows, waiting for his moment; It was when he was about out of train car that he found it. Quickly turning into a squirrel, he dashed in between the brute's legs. Once at the villain's back he transformed into a strong and healthy Clydesdale and delivered a swift back kick to the monsters spine, sending the bewildered thug sailing off of the fast moving train and onto the hard unforgiving steel and wood of the tracks.

Smiling to himself, Beast Boy resumed human form and dusted his hands. He then blew a raspberry and began making faces at the angry and frustrated Mammoth who was quickly shrinking into the distance. It was after a few moments of this that his ears twitched. Sensing danger he whirled around to find a seething Private H.I.V.E. standing a mere few feet away from him, his fists clenched and ready to start doling out punishment.

Smiling nervously, Beast Boy threw one more glance to where Mammoth had disappeared into the horizon. Chuckling he faced Private H.I.V.E.

"No ticket," he replied with a smirk, gesturing a thumb to the non-existent mammoth.

The villain let loose a furious battle cry and then attacked.

_**Eleven Years Later**_

Before reaching the top of the stairs, Garfield could hear her, his daughter Coraline, playing merrily in her bedroom. Approaching the closed door he gave a polite knock before simply opening it and peeking in his head.

"Hey, kiddo," he said with a smile as he set eyes on Coraline.

"Hi Daddy," replied the child looking up from her various toys and stuffed animals, which lay strewn about her in no particular order or grouping.

Stepping into the room, Garfield closed the door behind him and approached the young girl asking her, "What'cha doing?"

"Playing," she replied innocently.

"Playing what?"

Turning away from her father for a moment, Coraline twisted herself partway around and deftly snatched a smiling stuffed monkey up in her little hands.

"Monsters" she replied. She then held up the stuffed monkey, allowing Garfield to see it clearly. "Geoffrey is a good monster, but everyone thinks he's bad. But then he saves them from a volcano. And then everyone thinks he's good."

"Ohhhh, Interesting," answered Garfield smiling.

"Do you want to play?"

"I'd love to play."

Casually Garfield walked the few short steps until he was directly in front of the toy pile. Being mindful of everything around him, he gently eased himself into a sitting position.

"So who do I get to be?"

_**Eleven Years Earlier**_

The citizens of Jump City were out in full swing. After their successful defense of the train and their heroic capture of The Hive Five, the good people of Jump City as well as the surrounding areas saw fit to bestow upon the Teen Titans a special commendation.

Beast Boy was all smiles as he waved to the crowded central park from his lofty position on the stage. Robin had told all of them to show modesty and restraint during the acceptance, but such words were not in Beast Boy's vocabulary. With his chest swollen to capacity with pride, he waved to the onlookers, giving thumbs up to the kids and flirtatious winks to all the pretty girls. Even a death glare from Raven couldn't entirely extinguish the fire of joy inside of him. It was moments like these that he lived for. He could hardly imagine anything better.

_**Eleven Years Later**_

The glass cups made small tinkling noises against one another as Garfield gently slid them into the open cabinets. Humming idly to himself he retrieved glass after plate after fork after spoon from the dishwasher and returned everything to its proper place in the kitchen. It was when he was just about finished that he sensed Raven's presence behind him. He smiled as he felt her loving hands place themselves on his shoulders and gently massage his muscles.

"I was going to do that," said Raven moving to Garfield's side and wrapping her arms around his chest.

"Well, if you still want to, I can put'em all back," said Garfield with a smirk.

Raven smirked back and gave Garfield a small punch in the arm before once again snuggling close to him. "Smart ass," she teased.

For a moment there was silence as the two stood motionless, staring out the small kitchen window just above the sink, gazing at the quiet beauty of the slowly setting sun casting it's dying light over the trees and grass.

"I really want to thank you for all the work you've been doing around the house," said Raven softly after a while.

"No problem," answered Garfield with a smile.

Again there was silence as Raven placed a hand on her stomach. Turning her head she nuzzled Garfield's neck until he too turned and the happy couple shared a soft and loving kiss.

"I'm so happy I have you, Garfield," said Raven softly before kissing him again.

He never imagined he could ever feel this way.

Raven, Coraline, and his child still to come...

Garfield Logan loved his life.


	9. Quality Time

"Are you awake?"

The question tip toed through the bedroom, raspy and half whispered. She expected no answer, but she asked all the same.

"Probably not, right?" Placing a hand on her swollen stomach Raven gently ran her finger tips back and forth, delighting in the feel of the soft fabric of her nightgown against her skin. "I mean you stayed up most of the night kicking me, so I would imagine you're probably all tuckered out." She sighed gently and a small, sympathetic smile made its way to her lips. She lulled out a somewhat tired, "Oh well," and looked to the alarm clock on the nightstand. It was almost ten.

Rolling over onto her back, Raven allowed herself to completely spread herself out, stretching her arms and legs as far as was possible. The mattress beneath her was warm, and in this, the late hours of the morning, she had reached a state of supreme comfort, the kind where the desire to sleep was gone but the wish to get up had not yet come. Reveling in the feel, she closed her eyes and allowed herself to sink deep into the warm cocoon that was her bed. The house was quiet and she had no place to go. All things considered she was quite comfortable.

But as they say, nothing can last forever.

It was only a few short minutes later that Raven felt the rumbling in her stomach, and the call to breakfast came rushing to the forefront of her mind. Cracking open her eyes, the expecting mother gazed up at the bedroom ceiling for a few moments before reluctantly dragging herself out of bed.

"Okay, okay," she said as she made her way across the bedroom floor. "I'll get breakfast. I guess you're not too tired for that." With a loud stretch and a quiet yawn, she then made her way to the head of the stairway and down to the kitchen.

...

Surprising herself with her precision, Raven carefully scooped a generous serving of pancake batter from the bowl on the counter, the wooden spoon scraping against the plastic as she dug. The spoon clacked and the pan hissed as she deposited the yellowish white liquid from the bowl onto the hot griddle. After a few more scoops to ensure that no batter was left behind, three plentiful sized circles looked up at her from the stove.

"There we go," said Raven quietly. "Not too shabby."

She turned her attention to the sausages when their hissing became momentarily louder. Prodding the meat with a fork she negotiated them about the pan, rolling them over so that the darker undersides now showed. Smoke rose up from the pan along with the incredibly alluring scent of the cooking meat. "Smells good, doesn't it?" she said looking down at herself. "You have no idea how lucky you are. Your sister didn't get it nearly this good when she was in your shoes. Back when we first moved in, your father and I working together, we might have been able to boil a pot of water." She popped two slices of bread into the toaster and deftly pressed the plunger down. "I think the first meal we cooked...or at least the first one we tried cooking...I'm not sure I even remember what we were going for. I know it set off every smoke detector in the house." She took hold of the spatula and deftly flipped one of the pancakes revealing its beautiful golden brown underside. "Long story short I think we ended up having cold cereal and peanut butter sandwiches. Not exactly dining at the Ritz."

After cutting the sausages lengthwise to ensure that they were thoroughly cooked, Raven swiftly skewered each link with her fork and moved them to the plate on the counter. The pancakes followed and not long after that came the popping sound of the toaster. After applying a more than generous serving of jam to both slices of toast, they too found their way to the plate. Orange juice was poured, napkins and silverware was laid out and in no time there sat on the kitchen table a breakfast display so inviting, so picture perfect, Raven could hardly believe that she herself had engineered it.

Feeling very content with herself, Raven took her seat. Popping the cap off a fresh bottle of maple syrup she began carefully drizzling the sweat sticky liquid back and forth across her plate, ensuring that no inch of the warm, fluffy breakfast cakes went untouched. Placing a hand once again on her stomach she picked up her fork and cut into the pancake closest to her. "Bon apatite," she said with a small smile and took a bite.

...

Raven breathed deep the fresh morning air. Though the sun had been up for a while now, it had not yet reached the back porch; the area was still shaded and felt cool to the touch. The smallest of smiles graced Raven's lips as a cool breeze kissed her cheek, and once again her attention shifted inward.

"Now," she said quietly. "The real goal to meditation is not so much clearing your mind of _all_ thought, but rather learning to recognize different modes of thinking: healthy constructive versus unhealthy destructive. You could say that the true purpose of meditation is to bring the individual to a clear understanding of this difference of mind."

Cracking open one eye, Raven looked down. "You getting all this?" she asked, poking herself playfully. After a period of silence she once again raised her head and closed both eyes. "It's okay if this doesn't make any sense to you now. It will." Repositioning herself slightly she took another deep breath.

"Now about mantras. The repeating of words is a technique developed ages ago and is used to assist the individual in interrupting the flow of the conscious thinking mind. For now we'll use the one I was taught, but in the future you may wish to use one of your own choosing. Ready?"

Taking another breath Raven quietly droned out the words that had been her guide all through her meditative years. "Azerath Metrion Zinthos," she said. "Azerath Metrion Zinthos. Just like that. Don't think about what the words mean. Just keep repeating them. Azerath Metrion Zinthos."

"Good," she said. "That's good."

...

Pressing her index finger down on the plastic button, Raven applied another thin layer of furniture polish to the small end table before giving the entire piece another fast but smooth wipe down with the rag. Back and forth her hand made large sweeps across the wood, eventually graduating to large circular motions. Once satisfied that the table was free of dust, she then moved on to the roll top desk in the corner, the one next to the bookcase.

"So anyway," she said, removing a small lamp from the desk and placing it on the floor. "Eventually Lady Macbeth is found to have killed herself. Despite the fact that it was she who so brazenly sought Macbeth to murder the king, she quickly finds herself plagued by guilt. She knows that much of the blame for the bloodshed wrought by her husband falls with her and the guilt weighs heavy on her conscience." She sprayed the desk with polish and began wiping. "Ultimately, in the end Macbeth is killed and Lady Macbeth, unable to cope with everything that's happened, takes her own life. That's really the entire theme of the story right there: the destruction wrought when ambition goes unchecked by moral restraints. It may be gruesome but I believe it holds true."

Setting the container of furniture polish down on the desk, Raven threw a casual glance over her shoulder to the wall clock just above the TV set. It was 2:15. "Your sister should be home soon," she said aloud. "Let's go wait for her." Casually Raven made her way to the front door. A warm breeze greeted her as she carefully seated herself on the cement steps and faced the street.

For several minutes Raven sat, staring idly at the world around her. She breathed deep the fresh air, and smiled softly, basking in the peace and tranquility of the afternoon lull.

"I want to tell you something," she said after a few minutes of silence, her eyes still fixed straight ahead. "Something I've never told anyone. Not even your father." She once more placed a hand on her stomach. "When I first found out I was pregnant with your sister...Gosh I don't think I'd ever been so scared. I mean I was happy, but...it was terrifying. It wasn't so much the idea of carrying a child and giving birth, although that was certainly part of it. Really it was just...I had no idea what kind of a mother I'd be. If I could be the mother I knew I needed to be. I mean I can still remember a time when I was supposed to end all life in this world. I never imagined I'd end up bringing life into it. Being on the Teen Titans I got used to people depending on me, but this was different. I didn't want to make any mistakes. I was scared."

Feeling better now a small smile found its way to Raven's lips. "Don't worry though," she said, rubbing her stomach. "I got over it and in the end everything worked out. You have a great life to look forward to here. A nice home and a family that will never let you down. I promise you that."

Raven smiled as she saw the big yellow school bus turn the corner and begin making its way down the street. From her place on the steps she could already see Coraline through one of the windows near the front of the bus. The whistling sound of worn brake pads filled the air as the bus slowed to a halt. The folding door slid open and seconds later, the violet haired youngster appeared at the top of the steps.

"Hi Mommy," called the girl as she quickly bounced down the steps of the bus and began walking briskly up the driveway.

"Hi, sweetie," answered Raven. "Did you have a good day?"

"Yup."

The child swiftly made her way to where her mother sat. The youngster took a seat beside her and the two shared a loving embrace.

"Is the baby coming yet?" asked Coraline mid-hug, her eyes falling on Raven's stomach.

"Almost," said Raven. "Another couple months or so."

"Aww, why does it have to take so long? I want to see him."

"Well, you can talk to him if you want?"

"I can?"

"Sure. He can here you. Why don't you say hello?"

The young girl looked skeptically at Raven before eventually getting down close, and putting her small hands on her mother's stomach. "Hello, baby," she said. "I'm Coraline." There was a brief moment of silence before she once again turned her attention back to her mother. "He's not saying anything."

Raven smiled and the smallest of giggles escaped her lips. "Don't worry," she said putting an arm around the young girl and pulling her close. "He will. Just give him some time. You two will have lots of things to talk about."


	10. Potential

'He's so small'

The thought lingered in Garfield's brain, drifting gently back and forth through his consciousness like a leaf caught in an autumn breeze.

'He's so small and so beautiful.'

Swaddled in a yellow blanket, the babe lay, weightlessly in his arms, sleeping soundly against his chest, the picture of absolute serenity. His son. His precious son.

'So beautiful.'

And he was beautiful. His nose and lips were perfectly proportioned; his ears were small and rounded, and his chubby, little cheeks were wonderfully kissable. His skin was soft, soft as the blanket in which he slept; a beautiful shade of pale green that made Garfield think of spring; made him imagine a long stemmed flower, fresh and new, rising up from the warm nurturing soil.

Raising a hand, he gently ran the backs of his knuckles across the babes forehead, and brushed the tiny sprouts of violet hair on the top of his head with his fingertips. He smiled and felt his heart race. It was times like these he swore, feeling this good...there had to be something illegal about it.

His son.

'My son.'

Never taking his eyes away, he looked upon the babe in his arms and dreamed.

...

_The crowd was restless. Their collective voices were a dull murmur, a spattering of syllables and consonants that stretched from one side of the stadium to the next. The seconds felt like days as each one of the thousands in attendance shuffled in place, looked to the stage, checked their phones, did anything and everything possible to take control of time and force it forward. Looking into each set of young, anxious eyes, it was clear they all possessed the same thought:_

_'Oh I can't wait any longer. I'm too excited. It's not fair that you'd keep us all waiting like this. Please, oh please, if you have any mercy, please start the show!'_

_Suddenly the lights went dim. New life surged through the crowd, and the dull murmur swiftly exploded into a flurry of shouts and high pitched squeals. The droning roar of a Epiphone G-400 Electric guitar running through a Marshall JCM800 2205 amplifier washed over the stadium, riling the crowd up further, sending them into an overexcited frenzy. In a matter of seconds the stadium floor had been transformed into an ocean of humanity, ebbing and flowing to the whim of the gravitational force of the stage._

_"Ladies and gentleman," said a scratchy voiced man over the stadium's PA system. "Make some noise for Dylan Logan and The Dudes."_

_The screams became deafening. The ocean swelled, pushing against the stage as the curtains were swiftly pulled back by unseen hands. All at once the stadium was filled to overflowing with sound; roaring amplifiers, bone rattling bass and drums; the kind of sound that aroused the soul and sent the blood surging. There was a rippling of flashes as cameras all across the stadium did their best to capture the moment._

_And then, from stage right, he came, the man everyone was there to see. Bursting with energy he took center stage. His hair was long and black with splashes of violet at the tips of his bangs. His physique was lean and muscled. The colors he wore were dark and simple: a plain black collared short-sleeve shirt (half buttoned), snug navy blue jeans and a pair of brown soft leather boots._

_Standing at the front of the stage, he flashed the crowd a wide toothy grin, planted his feet and shoved his hands hard into the air, forming an X shape with his body. The crowd's reaction was immediate. Responding to his every move, they worked themselves to a fever pitch, cheering and clapping, taking pictures. The man laughed and raised a microphone to his lips._

_"How're you all doing tonight?" he said._

_The crowd shrieked and a wave of humanity seemed to rock the very stage itself._

_Not taking the microphone away the man smiled again. Clenching his fist he raised his chin and faced the sky. And from out between his lips came the sound of angles._

...

Garfield's brow arced softly as the baby boy in his arms began to stir; making little whining sounds, the babe's face scrunched in discomfort and his little arms forced themselves against the thin confines of the blanket. Slight concern spread across Garfield's face as he gently rocked and cuddled the distressed newborn.

"Shhh, shhh it's okay, pal," he whispered sweetly. "It's okay. I got you. I got you."

With the utmost love and affection he held his son close to him, cradling the babe the way he would the most delicate thing in existence, the way he would a prized and irreplaceable work of art. "It's okay," he said again. Slowly but surely the babe began to settle until, once again, the room was quiet and the only sound was that of the soft hushing of baby Dylan's breathing.

...

_Furrowing his brow he gazed into the ocular piece of the microscope, chewing his bottom lip. He turned. His fingers found their way to the keyboard and began swiftly clacking away, dancing over the keys with rapid and expert precision. Eyes darting back and forth he studiously examined the data as it flashed before him. It was staggering how fast his mind was able to process the various calculations and processes; it almost didn't seem possible, and yet there it was. He activated the electronic view screen and suddenly the image from the microscope was before him._

_The lab fell completely silent as he entered the final command into the computer and hit enter. There was complete silence, not even the sound of breathing, only the soft hum of the processors as they set about their task. A few feet away, his colleagues stood and waited, watching the screen with the utmost assiduity. Seconds passed. The waiting was almost unbearable, but no one dared make a sound; they only watched. Watched. And waited._

_The shrill beep came suddenly, and almost as soon as it did, the computer screen was illuminated by a bright and flashing message. "Vaccination Successful" it proudly stated to the now wide eyed collective. At first there was nothing, only stunned silence, and then the room simply erupted. Loud cheers, mixed with applause rocked the small laboratory._

_"He did it. He did it," said one man, his voice almost dreamlike in its disbelief._

_"Remarkable," added another before breaking out into joyous laughter. "Simply remarkable."_

_Back at the computer, the head of the research team breathed a sigh of relief and sat back in his chair, putting his feet up on his desk. Interlocking his fingers on the top of his head he smiled as a feeling of deep satisfaction ran through his body. A young African American woman suddenly joined him at his right, her face awash with excitement._

_"You did it," she said grabbing his shoulder. After taking one last confirming look at the screen she turned to him and said, "Do you have any idea what this means?"_

_"I think I have an idea," he said with a knowing smile._

_The woman turned back to the screen. Tears shone in her eyes as a soft smile spread across her lips. "A cure," she said after a moment. "At long last. A cure."_

...

Feeling a small twinge of pain devolping in his back, Garfield, still mindful of the sleeping babe in his arms, carefully set about readjusting himself. The chair creaked as he carefully slid back and re-sat himself on the cushion, this time in a more up-straight position. Once comfortable he turned and gazed out the window. There was faint light; the sun was just starting to rise. It was quiet and everything was still.

A gentle sigh made its way over his lips. If it wasn't for becoming a father, he thought, he may never have realized just how beautiful the early morning was.

Again he looked down at his son as he slept. Holding him close, he observed the child's tiny hand sticking unceremoniously outside the blanket. Gently he took it in his thumb and index finger. He smiled as on reflex the young Logan gently began squeezing the finger with no seeming desire to ever let go.

"Strong little guy," he whispered with a small smirk.

...

_The television went black as the previous commercial faded out. There was silence and then suddenly the screen was filled with screaming people. Thousands of them, all holding up brightly colored signs, rooting for their favorites, they leapt to their feet as the camera swept across the arena. The adrenaline, the excitement, it emanated so clearly from their bodies that one could almost see it._

_"Welcome everyone to Monday Night Warzone," came a voice rich in southern twang. "We are live from Jump City U.S.A. We've got a lot of action headed your way and we are ready to kick things off."_

_Suddenly the arena shook as a blast of gut wrenching rock came erupting out of the house speakers. From the floor to the rafters there arose a chorus of cheers, the sound of every man, woman, and child jumping up and roaring their approval. Eyes fell to the elaborate entry way at the corner of the arena, the massive metallic ramp and jumbo screen. There was a brief flurry of light and sound, an overwhelming fireworks display, as a booming voice proudly announced, "The following contest is scheduled for one fall."_

_Then they saw him. From out of the curtains, he came. Raising his hands above his head, pointing to the crowd he made his way down the aisle. His green muscles were slick with perspiration and his face a mask of confidence. He made the women swoon and the men roar. Like starving wolves they fed on his every action as he made his way to the ring._

_"I tell you, they love him here in Jump City," said the twangy voiced commentator._

_"They love him everywhere, JR." said a second voice with mild bemusement._

_"Well, you're right about that, King. I gotta tell you though, he has got his hands full tonight."_

_"That's right. Michael Zodiac has been waiting for this match for weeks, and he's finally going to get it. I just hope that Logan is ready for him."_

_The crowd roared again, watching excitedly as he climbed to the middle turnbuckle and raised a single fist above his head. They echoed the move and in a single powerful voice began chanting his name._

_"LO-GAN, LO-GAN, LO-GAN."_

_Smiling confidently he jumped down to the mat. At the opposite corner, his opponent for the evening, a tatooed behemoth with jet black hair, shouted something unheard by the audience; he then cracked his knuckles and flexed his powerful arms. The crowd booed in response and Logan simply smirked. The ref called both men to the center of the ring, gave some unheard instructions and then signaled for the bell._

_"Here we go!"_

...

A gentle sigh filled Garfield's ears. Across the room, his wife stirred, rolled over in her sleep and made a soft cooing sound. Eyes still shut, she faced him, and all at once the feeling of warmth, the same warmth he always felt when he looked upon her, rose up in his belly. He looked to the sleeping babe in his arms one last time and then carefully climbed to his feet. Walking the short distance to the crib in the corner of the room he gently lay the newborn down, blanket and all, and placed a soft kiss on his forehead.

...

_The keys jingled against the lock. Even from outside he could already hear them (they must have heard him pulling into the driveway) as he inserted his house key and let himself in. Opening the door, he was greeted by the sporadic thumping of little feet- it made him think of tiny thunder -as they made their way down the stairs and burst into the kitchen._

_"Dad," said a fresh faced young boy with light brown hair and pale skin._

_"Daddy," echoed his slightly younger, more rosy cheeked sister._

_"There they are," he said. He smiled and got down into a crouch, opening his arms wide and inviting both children into a warm embrace. They threw their little arms around his neck and he held them close, gently rubbing their backs. "How was school?"_

_"Good." Their answer came in unison and in the same fashion, slight exaggeration on the O sound that almost stretched it out into a two syllable word._

_From the other end of the kitchen entered his wife, a lovely young woman with short brown hair and soft hazel eyes. Seeing her he smiled and pulled his children in for another hug._

_"Good," he answered them. He stood and said, "Well, why don't you guys go get your shoes on. We're having dinner at Granma and Grandpa's house tonight."_

_"We know," said the boy. "Mom told us already," added the girl. Both smiled and then quickly turned and hurried away, their tiny thunder working its way down the hall and back upstairs._

_After watching them go, he stood and started to undo his tie. Casually his wife made her way over to him._

_"Hey," she said._

_"Hi," he answered._

_They shared a short but powerful kiss. Grabbing his wrists, she tuned and wrapped herself in his arms, sighing as he began leaving a trail of tiny kisses down her neck._

_"Are you ready to go to Grandma and Grandpa's?" he said playfully._

_She sighed and said, "Yeah."_

_Sensing the apprehension in her voice, he looked at her. "Oh come now," he said smirking. "All these years and two children... you can't still be dreading having to spend time with my parents."_

_"No, no...not dreading. I love your parents, but I guess it's hard to not still be kind of intimidated by them, them being former superheroes and everything. That and your mother, God bless her, is still nearly impossible to read."_

_He laughed and held her close. "Don't worry about it," he said. "If my word is worth anything-"_

_"And it isn't."_

_He laughed again. "Well if it was, I'd say, you can believe me when I tell you that they absolutely adore you. And I'm sure of that cause if they didn't Mom would have already teleported you into another dimension by now... just like poor Carol."_

_The woman in his arms looked at him. "That's not funny," she said._

_"Yes it is," he said. They laughed and shared one more kiss before the thunder from upstairs returned._

...

"What are you doing?"

The question was tired and scratchy. It drifted through the bedroom into his ears and stayed there for a moment until finally he turned and found Raven eyeing him sleepily from bed.

"Nothing," said Garfield. He momentarily turned his attention back to Dylan's slumbering form and then added, "Just thinking about the future."

Letting his hand linger on the crib for a moment he turned and slowly made his way back to bed. Crawling past his wife he once again laid himself down beside her, wrapping his arm around her waist and smiling as the sleepy eyed woman took his hand in hers and held it to her chest, placing it over her heart. Breathing in her scent he let out a contented sigh and slowly drifted back to sleep.


	11. Inlaws Part 1

Raven let out a small sigh; her reflection did the same. Brush in hand, counting each stroke as she went, she set about the task of giving her already well kept hair one final going over. As with all her actions, her brushing was slow, rhythmic and precise; each side received the same number of long, even strokes. After about ten minutes she was finished. Returning her instrument to its place in the bathroom closet, she settled back in front of the mirror and studied herself.

Her current style of dress fell somewhere between casual and formal. Having not quite worked off the weight brought on by her pregnancy, and still feeling somewhat self-conscious, she opted for a modest white blouse and a pair of black dress pants with heels. Staring at her lips, for a brief moment, she considered applying a thin layer of makeup, but in the end thought better.

"That'd just be overdoing it," she muttered quietly to herself. With another sigh she again considered her situation. "Azerathean formality was never this complicated."

It was then that a sudden wave of distress once again shot through her body, the fourth time in the last five minutes. Letting out an annoyed sighed, she shook her head at her reflection and quickly left the bathroom, clicking off the light as she went. She was just about to descend the stairway when she stopped. Looking over her shoulder and craning her neck, she peered down the hallway towards the bedroom. Wavering for a moment at the top of the stairs, she eventually turned and began making her way back down the hall, being mindful of each step as she went.

The bedroom door creaked quietly as she slowly negotiated it open and stuck her head inside. Peaking around the doorframe, she looked softly to the crib in the corner of the room. Hovering through the air, so as not to make a sound, she made her way over.

Raven could not help the warm smile from spreading on her face, nor would she have wanted to, as she took sight of three month old baby Dylan slumbering peacefully in bed. Never did she feel more at ease than when she watched her children sleep. Something about being there at their most vulnerable, knowing that they were safe... She had spent years studying and understanding emotions, but she would not have been able to describe the feeling that coursed through her body now even if she had the rest of her life.

Unfortunately such a perfect moment would not go uninterrupted.

She winced as another pang of distress shot through her body. Letting out a perturbed sigh, she swiftly left the bedroom. Taking the express route, she conjured open a black portal beneath her feet and effortlessly phased through the floor. Touching down in the kitchen she took sight of her husband busying himself in front of the stove. Zipping back and forth, alternating between stirring pots and cutting vegetables, he was a man completely absorbed in his work, hardly even aware of her presence behind him. She would watch him for a few moments more before another pang forced her take action.

"Garfield, please" Raven said abruptly. "I need you to calm down. Your stress is almost unbearable."

"Huh?" answered Garfield, looking over his shoulder. Though confused at first, it only took a moment or two for him to realize the meaning of Raven's words. "Oh...oh, I'm sorry, hon," he said. He seemed ready to make some kind of excuse but stopped himself mid sentence and made no attempt to restart. After cutting up a carrot and tossing the pieces into a large serving bowl, he looked up to the clock on the wall. He then turned his attention to the oven and froze.

Following her husband's gaze and again picking up on his distress, Raven stepped forward and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Want me to take care of it?" she asked.

Garfield shook his head and said, "Nah, it's okay. I came this far. No sense in stopping now."

Taking a moment to psyche himself up, the green man pulled on an oven mitt and opened the door. There came a small puff of thin smoke and immediately the kitchen was awash with the alluring scent of cooking meat (Though Garfield's predicament kept her silent, Raven would have been lying if she said the smell didn't make her mouth water). On the bottom rack, the fat pot roast sizzled and hissed, soaking in its own juices. With a spoon from the counter he started basting, scooping the juice from the bottom of the pan and drizzling it over the back of the roast from one end to the other.

Even without her empathic powers it was easy to tell how much Garfield hated what he was doing. Meat wasn't exactly outlawed in their household (Raven was far from being a vegetarian and neither of them sought to impose any kind of morality based eating habits on Coraline, who was far too picky an eater to do so anyway) but still the fact remained that the sight of any dead animal, processed or otherwise, made the green man very uneasy. Nevertheless, like the good and stubborn man that he was, he persisted.

Shaking her head, she approached. After waiting for him to re-close the oven, she placed her palms on either side of his face and pressed lightly into his temples with her fingertips.

"No, it's okay," said Garfield, quickly recognizing her actions. "You don't have to."

"Be quiet," Raven said, her tone soft but firm.

He did as he was told, and Raven, keeping her hands in place, began silently reciting her mantra.

Garfield's eyelids drooped and his breathing became long and steady. A pleasant shiver ran up his spine and all at once he felt the stress and anxiety accumulated over the past several hours drain from his body and be replaced by a deep calm. After several minutes of this hypnotic mental massage, his wife's hands finally disappeared from his face, leaving him in a state of such deep relaxation that he nearly lost the ability to stand. Wanting her close, he turned and gently slid his arms around her waist and pulled her to him.

"Thanks," he breathed.

For several moments they stood unmoving in the kitchen before finally being interrupted by the sound of static-y crying coming over the baby monitor on the table.

"Why don't you go handle that," said Raven, nodding her head in the direction of the sound. "I'll take it from here."

Garfield gave a small nod. And after placing a gentle kiss on his lips, turning him by the shoulders, Raven sent him on his way. Seeing him disappear up the stairs she then took his place at the chopping block. As she began cutting the celery, she considered the current situation and her expression soured.

Would it really have been so wrong to have pasta?

...

It was inside the next hour when the familiar chime of the doorbell filled house. Sitting at the kitchen table, book in hand, Raven looked to the clock on the wall. It was time. As she climbed to her feet, there came from the living room the sound of the TV remote clattering on the coffee table followed by a series of light but quick footsteps. Before she could make any motion for the door, Garfield came zipping by her, nervous smile on his face.

"Here we go again," mumbled Raven quietly to herself, running her fingers a few times through her hair and flattening out the creases in her blouse with her palms.

Time had been remarkably generous to the couple now standing in the doorway. Despite being in their forties, both appeared to be in perfect health. The man, Steve Dayton, stood a good 6ft tall and was well muscled, yet not overly so. With his broad shoulders and lean stomach, he had the mesomorphic body structure of a man in his twenties. The only age that he showed was in his face. Small wrinkles formed at the corners of his eyes and along his forehead, and his rust colored hair grayed at the sides.

Steve's wife, Rita Farr, was in a similar way. Her long and slender body still possessed a great deal of tone, and her hair was the same rich chestnut color it had always been with nary a hint of white. Though she had the same distinct wrinkles at the corners of her eyes as her husband, her youthful vigor helped to lend the appearance of a woman half her age.

With eyes twinkling and big smile in tow, Rita entered the doorway. "Garfield," she practically shrieked, opening her arms wide, welcoming the man in for a grand embrace.

Holding her tight, Garfield smiled and said, "Hey, Mom," before standing to the side and inviting her in. Steve, a plain gray suitcase in each hand, quickly followed, though showing far less enthusiasm than Rita.

Once inside Rita's attention quickly shifted to Raven. Smiling brightly she approached, arms outstretched.

"How are you, Raven?" she said pleasantly, ensnaring the woman in a deep embrace before she could offer any kind of response.

"Fine," Raven replied in her usual monotone. The hug broke and, realizing the curtness of her response, the violet haired woman politely asked if the two had any problems with the ride over.

"Oh no, none at all," answered Rita. "We didn't want to draw too much attention so we just had Cliff and Larry drop us off in town, next to one of Steve's garages. Then we just drove over."

Back at the door, attention shifted from mother to father. Garfield, smile fading somewhat, offered Steve his hand and said, "Good to see you again, sir."

Steve reflected Garfield's small smile with one of his own as he quickly accepted the green man's hand in his and said, "How are you, son?" The question was more a formality than anything else as the older man's interest quickly turned into something more closely resembling a physical examination than a greeting. Still holding Garfield's hand, he pulled the young man close and began studying the muscles in his arms, tracing them with his fingertips, looking for weakness and injury. He then did the same to his chest and back and shoulders. "Seem to be holding up pretty well," he finally said after a few moments.

"Fit as a fiddle," said Garfield, a wry smile forming on his lips.

"Yeah," answered Steve, still completely absorbed with the task at hand. "Well, we'll see about that." Taking a small step backward he folded his hands behind his back. "Turtle," he said, his enunciation swift and sharp.

"Dad, I-" began Garfield.

"Turtle!" answered Steve, louder than before.

Without giving it another thought, Garfield summoned his powers and in an instant he sat, the small reptile, on the kitchen floor.

No sooner did the young man complete his transformation did Steve follow his previous command with another, barking, "Swallow," in a loud, booming voice. The very instant Garfield complied he moved on. "Raccoon, monkey, chimp, wolf, rat," he spouted animal after animal, watching with keen interest as Garfield followed his every command without hesitation.

Raven noticing the display over Rita's shoulder, politely excused herself from the conversation, while at the same time there came from upstairs the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps. She only managed a somewhat muted, "Excuse me," before Coraline swiftly burst into the room shouting, "Grandma! Grandpa!"

Smiling brightly, Rita quickly lowered herself and welcomed the fast approaching youngster with open arms. "There's my little Coraline," she said pulling the child close and giving her three quick kisses on her cheek. "Oh I missed you so much."

"Missed you too," answered Coraline. Letting go of Rita, the young girl quickly turned her attention to Steve.

Unlike Rita, Steve simply stood and watched as the young girl swiftly wrapped her little arms the best she could around his waist and hugged her cheek to his hip. Despite his rigid posture the smile on his face was genuine as he ruffled the young girl's violet hair and let loose the faintest of chuckles.

After letting go, Coraline took a few steps back and stood quickly at attention, knees straight, arms at her sides. She saluted and in the strongest tone her tiny voice could muster said, "Sir, Cadet Coraline Logan aka Beast Girl reporting for duty, sir."

"You ready to show me what you got, soldier?" Steve asked.

"Sir, yes, sir!"

Seeing the previous superpowered display ready to resume, Raven was once again about to interject when Rita beat her to it.

"Oh wait," she said, suddenly taking a step forward. "Steve, let me give her her surprise first."

At the word surprise Coraline's disciplined stance instantly vanished. "A surprise?" she beamed, turning and facing her grandmother.

Still on her knee, Rita pulled the item from her jacket pocket. Small and dark, clothed in a plastic bag and sealed with a twist tie, it took all of one second for the young girl to identify it.

"Chocolate," she cheered.

"Real milk chocolate all the way from Switzerland," answered Rita. "Here, have a piece. It'll be the best chocolate you've ever had."

As Rita began fiddling with the small package and Steve commenced lecturing Garfield on the importance of "Readyness," Raven couldn't help but be amazed. It had been less than five minutes and already she could feel control of her household completely slipping away from her. If she was going to do anything, it would have to be now.

"Dinner's going to be ready in an hour," she said, politely putting herself between the young girl and her grandmother. "Why don't we save that for dessert?"

"Oh one little piece isn't going to hurt," answered Rita pleasantly, continuing to fiddle with the seal, not even bothering to look up.

Raven placed a staying hand on Rita's wrist and said, "I would really rather she wait."

As if suddenly realizing her actions, Rita halted, saying, "Oh, oh, yes of course." For a moment she appeared slightly embarrassed, then turned to Coraline and said, "Let's do as your mother says, dear."

Coraline's shoulders slumped. Though the look on her face was slightly defiant, she offered no real argument outside of a small, slightly stifled groan.

"Come on, Cadet," said Steve, suddenly reaffirming his presence. "I'm waiting to see what you got."

The youngster, snapping out of her funk, once more took her place in front of her grandfather and was set to receive command when Raven again made her matronly presence known, informing the two that, "We do not allow shape-shifting inside the house."

Steve turned to Garfield and raised an eyebrow.

Garfield nodded and said, "Uh, yeah, that's kind of a new rule."

Brow still raised, Steve turned back to Raven, nodded and with a small sigh said, "Ok outside then." Moving past everyone else he made for the door leading to the backyard, all the while waving and saying, "Come on soldier, move, move, move."

Wearing a bright smile, Coraline swiftly followed.

At the sound of the door opening and closing, Garfield turned his attention back to his mother. Motioning to the living room he said, "Mom, come in, sit down. Take a load off. How was your trip?"

"Oh fine, fine. But where's the new baby?"

"Dylan's upstairs napping right now. We'll bring him down later."

"I'm dying to see him."

Watching the two make their way into the living room, Raven sighed and rubbed her brow.

"And so it begins," she said, and then swiftly followed.

* * *

_A/N: I wanted all these stories to be "bite sized" and I felt this one would be too long, so I've decided to do it in parts. Hope you guys don't mind._


	12. Inlaws Part 2

_Thong._

That was the sound of Raven's head gently resting against the sliding glass door; the one at the back of the house, overlooking the yard; the one holding the image of her daughter and father-in-law as they bantered about the grass.

The thing about Garfield's parents, the thing Raven had to struggle to remember sometimes, was that deep down, really deep down, they meant well. They were good people. They were superheroes after all, the founders of the legendary Doom Patrol. They had saved the world countless times, were revered and respected by millions and across nations. Of course none of those millions ever had to try living with them. They weren't bad. There were just certain things about them.

Without getting too down on Rita and Steve, it's important to recognize one important fact: that Raven was the daughter of a ruthless Demon God, the offspring of Trigon the Terrible. A half-demon herself she was once fated to helping destroy and/or subjugate all life within the Earth dimension. When you have that kind of black spot on your resume you tend not to judge. Still, as a mother, she believed she had done well. Everyone in the Logan household was happy, healthy and provided for, herself included. After two kids and over six years of child rearing, she liked to feel she had a strong enough grasp on the concept, or at the very least, had developed a good enough system to ensure the love, comfort and safety for all of those closest to her. She liked her system. It was a good system. It also flew completely out the window whenever Steve and Rita came to visit.

It had been a good half-hour since Steve and Coraline had gone into the backyard. It was cold out, only about 50 degrees, and a strong wind bent the trees; however, neither of the two seemed really to notice. For Coraline it was the simple fact that she was too young and having way too much fun. As for Steve, well, nothing ever seemed to bother him, especially anything as trivial as inclement weather.

From behind the glass of the sliding door Raven looked on as Steve lectured and instructed. As he tested the limits of Coraline's conditioning. She watched as he showed his six-year-old granddaughter the basics of hand-to-hand combat, how best to disarm an attacker, how to bring down an opponent with one blow, where, when and how to strike for maximum damage.

The finer points of killing a man with your toes...

Wonderful.

She could already hear the phone call.

"Hello, Mrs. Logan, we're afraid your daughter was caught demonstrating the five point palm exploding heart technique on one of her fellow classmates."

"I'm very sorry to hear that, Principal Evers."

"You should know we do not allow kung fu fantasy fights here at Crestwood Elementary, Mrs. Logan."

"Yes, Principal Evers. I understand, Principal Evers."

Abruptly the authoritarian nagging of Principal Evers turned into the fussy whining and mewing sounds of baby Dylan.

"Oh wha'sa matter, wha'sa matter? Whosa woosa, woo woo."

The high falsetto chirping and clucking belonged to Rita. From her place on the couch she lovingly cradled the infant, alternating between baby talk and "baby talk."

"How often do you feed him? Is he sleeping through the night yet? Are you sure?" This bombardment of questions was also Rita. Smiling at Garfield, she interspersed her questions with comments like, "You know what I heard? I've been reading a lot of magazine articles, I've been watching a lot of programs, and they say, and they teach, and they swear by, blah blah blah eh whooda hadda bladdidy blah."

In the backyard Coraline was educated on the perfect execution of arm bars and wrist locks.

...blah, blah, blah pacifiers. Blah, blah, solid foods, blah, blah.

How best to cinch in a combination rear naked choke and hammer lock.

...yadda, yadda, breast feeding, gobbledy, goobledy 100 percent cotton onesies.

...a series of highly effective pressure points.

Dylan started fussing again, and Rita said in a high sing-song-y voice, "Oh, I think someone wants to see mommy."

Accepting Dylan into her arms Raven kissed the top of the babe's head. Rita awwed and turned to Garfield, saying, "Why don't you show me the baby's room?" Garfield agreed and the two made their exit.

Watching them leave Raven frowned as an acrid smell made its way to her nostrils.

"Of course someone wants to see mommy," she said quietly.

Someone was in need of changing.

xxxxxx

It was dinner time. With everyone gathered around the table, Raven felt herself regain a small sense of control. Very small.

Steve had never been very big on manners as was made painfully evident by the way he ate. He cleaned his plate quickly, loudly chewing and smacking each bite, licked and popped his fingers. He clattered his silverware noisily against his dish, downed his wine like water, went back for second and third helpings without so much as a pardon or a please or excuse me. Snorting, coughing, belching, completely absorbed in his own world, he ravished his plate, a lion in the midst of eviscerating a gazelle.

And Raven actually used to think that Garfield's table etiquette was abhorrent. Even during his teenage years the green man would not have held a candle to his adoptive father in the bad manners department. And at least he'd had the good sense to clean up his act once he reached adulthood. It was more than could be said for Steve.

"Good roast," said Steve curtly after nearly ten minutes of gorging. Chawing his last bite of roast, stuffing it into his cheek, he said, "Damn good." He sat back in his chair, slapped his slightly protruding stomach, burped loudly. This gave Coraline excuse to put a hand over her mouth and giggle as Raven closed her eyes and quietly swallowed her disgust.

Rita smacked Steve on the wrist and gave a disapproving glare to which the man snickered.

"What?," he said with a smirk. "It's a compliment." Leaning forward, reaching across the table, he helped himself to another serving of scalloped potatoes.

In the midst of her irritation, Raven took note of a sudden swell in the air: a smell of something akin to wildflowers as well as a feeling of fullness, the unmistakable emotion of pride with a slight hint of delight. The emotions were Garfield's. As the smiling man ladled himself another helping of tomato bisque, she briefly reflected on Steve's and Rita's previous visit. How Garfield had slaved for hours, preparing for them a vegetarian friendly Mexican meal: chips and homemade salsa topped off by meat friendly Tostadas and a Quesadilla. It was a beautiful meal, one that she had quite enjoyed. However, such could not be said for the more traditional minded Steve who spent the bulk of dinner time picking at his plate and doing little to hide his disappointment.

Coraline echoed her Grandfather's belch making Steve chuckle, point with his fork, say, "There you go."

Snapping back to the present, Raven leveled her own disapproving gaze at the youngster and cleared her throat. "Coraline, I couldn't help but notice that spinach is still making its slow journey around your plate."

Coraline's smile vanished. She prodded the green vegetable with her fork and frowned. "I ate a little bit," she said.

"Hmmm, I don't think so," said Raven. "It looks like it's all still there."

"Why did they have to make spinach so yucky?"

"It's not yucky," said Garfield. "It's healthy."

"Which is another word for yucky."

Raven said sternly, "Coraline that's enough. Eat your spinach."

Pouting was the child's only answer. She folded her arms, turned up her nose, shook her head, No.

"Well, then you won't be having any of Grandma's chocolate."

"But you said I could have some after dinner."

"That's right and veggies are part of dinner."

"Oh, Raven, dear, don't you think you're being a little tough on her?" said Rita. She turned to Coraline and said, "Sweetie, you don't have to finish all of it. Just take three bites."

"Rita, we don't negotiate these kinds of things," said Raven. "Now, she knows how things work. She knows that she doesn't get dessert unless her plate is clean." Once again Raven faced Coraline. "Well, young lady?"

Coraline got down from the table. "No thanks," she said sadly.

The table fell silent afterwards, and though Rita would once again assert that she might have been acting a bit too harshly, still, Raven felt no remorse. She didn't like being the bad guy, but she found that sometimes that was the role that needed to be played. It was her system in play. She knew what she was doing.

xxxxxx

Rita had been a burgeoning actress before the incident that turned her into Elasi-Girl. Though she was left with incredible power her inability to control it at first unfortunately sabotaged what was already a very promising film career. That was years ago, and though she always swore to putting the past behind her, it wasn't rare for her to share stories of her semi-famous former life, quietly lamenting all that she had been forced to surrender. It was understandable. Though Raven could never relate to being in such an envious position she could easily imagine how hard it must have been letting go of a dream.

The rest of the night passed without much incident. There was pleasant small talk all around. Rita spent time visiting with Coraline in her room while Steve chatted idly with Garfield about upcoming operations in the Alps and the Serengeti, and of recent battles with villains like Mr. Nobody and Animal-Mineral-Vegetable Man (seriously). For the most part Raven kept to her quiet self and looked after Dylan, only joining in the conversation here and there or when called upon.

As night fell things began winding down. Though Steve and Rita could have easily afforded a hotel room, Garfield had always insisted that they stay at the house. Steve, despite being a millionaire, was somewhat of a cheapskate when it came to things not involving global security, and always accepted. And being the good hosts that they were, both Garfield and Raven would always surrender their own bedroom to the visiting couple and instead sleep in the living room.

"Time for bed," said Raven. Opening the door to her daughter's bedroom she found the little violet-headed girl already clad in her pajamas. She had brushed her teeth and though she hopped into bed without much argument she almost immediately hopped out again.

"Oh, oh," the little girl gasped. "Mommy, look I want to show you."

"What do you want to show me?"

"Look, look."

Placing her hands on the backs of her hips, the youngster confidently sauntered from one side of the room to the other. Jerking her hips awkwardly from side to side, strutting like peacock, she purposefully put one foot in front of the other in a sort-of marching yet elegant stride. When she reached the other side of the room she turned, looked over her shoulder, and did her very best wink (which really amounted to little more than a forced squint).

Widening her eyes at the child's overly grown-up display Raven said, "And what is that supposed to be?"

"Walking with attitude," answered Coraline with a bright smile as she skipped back to her mother's side.

"And who showed you that?" said Raven.

"Grandma," said Coraline.

Raven sighed heavily in her mind. It figured.

"She said that in...Holly...Woods...it's how you get noticed."

"Is that right?"

"Uh-huh. Grandma was in movies, you know."

"Oh I know all about Grandma being in movies."

"She said that if you want to be a star you need to act like you're a star. Mommy, I think I want to be in movies too."

Raven gave a small smile. "I'm sure you do. But there will be plenty of time to be in movies when your older. Until then why don't we cool it with the whole 'Walking with Attitude' stuff for a while."

"But shouldn't I practice."

"Practice later. (Much later) Now into bed."

Raven tucked the young girl deep into her covers, kissed her lovingly on the cheek, said goodnight. She went to the door and flicked off the light. She was turning to leave when something caught her eye. In the corner of Coraline's bedroom there was a little blue bucket, a small waste bin. Though mostly filled with expired markers and broken crayons, paper scraps and other leftovers from the youngsters various construction projects tonight it played host to something else. In the dim sliver of light, Raven couldn't help but notice an article at the top of the bin. It was a plastic bag, small, unassuming and yet all too familiar. Snatching the item out of the bin, she closed the door. She held it under her nose. And then the distinct smell of chocolate greeted her senses.

xxxxxx

It was almost six-thirty the next morning when Raven awoke to the pleasant smell of eggs cooking. Gently negotiating her way over a still sleeping Garfield she made her way down the hall to the kitchen where she found Rita standing over a steaming pan, spatula in hand.

"Morning," she said pleasantly.

It hadn't been difficult to imagine Rita sneaking the chocolate up to Coraline's bedroom the night before nor Steve perhaps putting her up to it. The idea that the two had blatantly defied her was troubling and Raven wrestled with the idea of telling them off all night. Despite all this, when greeted by Rita in the morning, she nevertheless still managed a pleasant, "Good morning."

Smiling Rita said, "Sit down. Have some breakfast." She moved a spoonful of scrambled eggs and a trio of bacon strips to a plate, set the plate on the table in front of Raven. She poured a cup of coffee and fetched some silverware.

"What about you?"

"Oh don't worry there's plenty here."

"I can't just take your breakfast."

"Nonsense, Dear. Eat. I insist. I'll just make some more if I need to."

Somewhat taken aback by the gesture, Raven offered the woman her sincerest gratitude and nipped a bite of bacon.

"How is it?" asked Rita, setting down a fresh plate and taking a seat beside her.

Raven nodded, finished her bite and said, "Very good. Thank you." She looked about the table. Realizing something was missing, she went to the fridge, came back with a half-spent bottle of ketchup. Applying the tomato topping to her eggs, she heard Rita chuckle.

"Oh my God," said Rita.

"Uh...What?"

"You put ketchup on your eggs too."

"Umm yeah."

Rita chuckled lightly again and said, "Garfield has been the only other person I've known who liked to ketchup his eggs. Steve and Cliff and the others they always thought I was the weird one because I liked it. Then when we found Garfield..."

For a moment Rita became distant. She looked down at her plate, smiling wistfully. "Raven, I really should thank you."

"For what?"

"For all the things that you do around here." Again she seemed distant as she said, "It seems so long ago. Garfield was only a boy when we first met. He liked to act grown up, like nothing bothered him. But I could tell...When I looked into his eyes I could tell he'd already known far more sadness then a boy his age should ever know."

She took a breath and continued. "I remember...because of the accident children were pretty much out of the picture for me. So when we suddenly found this little boy in need of a home. I guess it felt like it was meant to be. When he first called me Mom...I still don't know if it was an accident or what, but I remember I almost cried. I always knew I could never be his real mom. But I figured I could at least try and give him all the things a mom could give a son. It broke my heart when he left. But he'd been on his own before and...I never wanted to stand in his way. I just wanted him to be happy."

"Raven," said Rita. "I just want to thank you for really making Garfield happy. I know that there's no real connection between any of us. Steve and I, we're not Garfield's parents, we're not real family. But you have no idea how proud we are of all of you. Or how happy it makes us that you let us into your home. That you let Coraline think of us as her grandparents. She's such a wonderful girl..."

She had been holding them back the entire time, but not anymore. Sniffling, smiling in embarrassment, the tears came flowing freely down her cheeks.

"Rita," said Raven after a moment. "Who says you're not real family?" She placed a comforting hand on Rita's shoulder. Scooting her chair closer she pulled the woman close in a one armed embrace.

"If there's ever anything that you all need," said Rita. "Just remember we're only a phone call away. Steve and I will help anyway we can."

Raven nodded and with the barest of smiles, rubbed the woman's shoulder. "Thank you, Rita."

Suddenly all the little things, the quirks and irritations, the miniscule barbs and betrayals...None of it seemed to really matter anymore. Because at the end of the day what mattered most was that they were a family. A family maybe not of blood but certainly of love.


End file.
